


Saints Row: The Third (rewrite)

by The_Head_In_Charge



Series: Saints Row series [3]
Category: Saints Row
Genre: Abduction, Action/Adventure, Aftermath of Torture, Aftermath of Violence, Arms Dealing, Assassins & Hitmen, BDSM, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Torture, Blood and Violence, Canon Rewrite, Canon-Typical Violence, Corruption, Crimes & Criminals, Cybercrimes, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Friends With Benefits, Gang Violence, Gang War, Gang warfare, Gangs, Gen, Gun Violence, Gunplay, Hacking, Kidnapping, Light BDSM, Lust, Military, No Strings Attached, Organized Crime, Prostitution, Revenge, S&M, Saints Row: The Third (Freeform), Strippers & Strip Clubs, Terrorism, Torture, cyberspace
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:00:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 40
Words: 144,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24693418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Head_In_Charge/pseuds/The_Head_In_Charge
Summary: This is a re-imagining/novelization of Saints Row: The Third. A lot of elements will be the same, but there will be some changes made as well. The Saints are on the grand stage as they have now become media superstars. However, a new threat comes their way and wants to overthrow them to take their crown. This threat is known as The Syndicate. It was time for The Saints to take a stand against them.
Series: Saints Row series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982320
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	1. When Good Heists Go Bad

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, my readers. I want to talk about what I am about to do. So recently, I had bought the remastered version of Saints Row: The Third. It made me remember all the fun I had when I played it back in the early-2010s. But I will note that there were issues with the story. I had also read that there were elements in rough drafts for the script that were changed.
> 
> So in this one, I am doing a rewrite of the game. Now I am not going to change it completely. There will be changes, such as returning characters from 1 and 2, as well as some story elements changing up a bit. I am not going to spoil it. I will leave you guys to see what will happen. But a lot of story elements will remain the same.
> 
> Like I said, certain elements will stay and others will be changed up as well. As for the portrayal of The Boss/Playa, I will have that character be a male and I am going to use the dialogue from Male Voice 1 (Troy Baker) and visually, I am going with the main default model that was used. You know, the one with the suit, brown hair and sunglasses on top of his head. That one. Why? Because I feel that the look can work. If I was using the female version, I could use the default female model and use Laura Bailey's voice dialogue.
> 
> Also, regarding missions involving activities, I will see what I will do for those.
> 
> If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in a review or PM me. That's about all I can say. Enjoy!

_Conquest._

_The story of human history._

_Since time immemorial, great leaders have risen from humble beginnings to…_

_Do shit._

_And so it was with the **THIRD STREET SAINTS**._

_Since conquering Stilwater, the once small-time street gang has evolved into a media empire._

_A Saints Movie is in development. JOHNNY GAT and SHAUNDI are pop-culture icons. And PIERCE…_

_Well, who gives a fuck about Pierce?_

_The point is, the Saints are on the world stage and every criminal organization wants their crown._

_It was only a matter of time before one of them took the fight to the Saints._

* * *

Two men and a woman stood inside an elevator. One man was of Asian descent and wore a jacket, jeans, and sunglasses. The man was none other than Johnny Gat, one of the mainstays of the Saints for many years. The woman was Shaundi, who wore a purple jacket over a low-cut crop top and tight purple pants, which was a far cry to how she was when she started with the Saints.

The other man was Josh Birk, a well-known actor who starred in a popular vampire superhero show called "Nyte Blayde." Josh looked at his cellphone and was watching a Japanese commercial for Saints Flow, a Saints-endorsed energy drink.

The commercial had the Saints' own Pierce Washington on a basketball court getting jumped by some random street toughs, such as bikers and other thugs. It even led to him getting beaten to the ground, until he saw the Saints Flow mascot, a can of the drink with arms and legs flying in the air and glowing right over him. Pierce made eye contact with it and as the mascot got closer, the mascot put its left arm out and pointed its index finger, causing Pierce to do the same, a la the movie "E.T.: The Extraterrestrial."

The fingers touched, causing a can of Saints Flow to appear out of thin air. Pierce took one swig and BAM! Pierce gained a lot of powers and beat down the street toughs with a lot of ease. He used a lot of martial arts moves and sent one of the thugs flying, literally, and even made a fireball that sent another thug flying out of the basketball court before exploding to kingdom come. Pierce saw a basketball and delivered a slam dunk, with a lot of purple glowing stars flying around him. He yelled "Super excellence!" to the camera holding the can of the energy drink.

Right after the commercial was over, Josh stood there with Johnny and Shaundi, holding his phone with the video feed.

"Japanese commercials, easiest money you'll ever make," Josh said to both Saints.

"Grand larceny is right up there," Johnny said, taking a couple of pistols out of a big on the floor and spun them to hand them to Josh. "You ready for this?"

"No worries," Josh said, posing with the two guns in his hand, spinning them like a cowboy would. "I do my own stunts."

Shaundi put a little speaker enhancer around her neck to alter her voice. "Hey, you're just a ride-along, man. So don't get all Hong Kong-style in there."

All three people looked like they were prepared for something alright, but what was it? They all had guns in their hands, but what were they about to do?

"Hey, I am a _method_ actor," Josh said. "If I'm going to play a Saint with any degree of emotional truth…" He said as he put on the voice enhancer. "I got to make it real."

BING! The elevator door opened and standing before Johnny, Shaundi, and Josh was someone in a Johnny Gat mascot outfit.

"Trust me, Birk, it'll be real," a distorted voice said through the suit. "Are you guys ready?"

"Wait, who are you?" Josh said.

"Good look, Boss," Johnny said. "And shit, I'm as ready as I've ever been."

Johnny and Shaundi got out the masks, which were the heads of the Johnny Gat mascot costume. Josh looked around. Both Shaundi and Johnny had put on the masks already, much to his confusion.

"You're robbing a bank dressed like yourselves?" Josh said.

Johnny said, "Hell yeah, who doesn't want to be Johnny Gat?"

"Ultra-post-modernism, I love it," Josh said and put on the Johnny Gat head as well.

The quartet walked into the bank. It was no bank like they had not seen before. It must have sprung over night, even in a city like Stilwater. The bank looked like it had a lot of open space, two gigantic Roman statues with Spartans on horses looking like they were about to throw spears. There was also a lot of red walls, as well as a cardboard cutout of famous professional wrestler, Killbane. On one end of that floor, there was a huge pink star. What did that symbolize?

"I'm cool with the Saints movie, but do we really got to drag this asshole actor around?" Shaundi said.

"Cut Josh some slack, he's just researching his part," Boss said.

"I hope he signed a waiver," Shaundi said.

"Alright, people," Boss said firing a warning shot into the ceiling above. Josh quickly jumped onto a desk that was right in front of him.

"NOBODY MOVES, NOBODY DIES!" Josh said, pointing his pistols right at a person sitting at the front desk.

"Birk!" Johnny yelled.

Josh turned towards Johnny and said, "Sorry, jumped his line. Can we go again?"

However, Boss had a lot more professional skills as he drew his machine gun.

"You all know the drill," Boss said.

But what was puzzling was that bank patrons used this as an opportunity to get some photo ops with the Boss and other members of the Saints. One man got a picture with the Boss, in front of a Killbane cardboard cutout, no less.

"Get in line, bitch!" Josh pointed one of his pistols at a bank teller, much to Shaundi's annoyance.

"Hey, don't be a dick," Shaundi said.

"You call yourself gang-bangers?" Josh said. "You're a bunch of pussies! We should be all in their shit, like—"

But the teller wasn't going to have any of it, as she drew a .45 Shepherd and pointed it right at Josh and let out a shot. Lucky for Josh, he was able to jump out of the way before a slug went right for him, rather than blowing off the head of the Killbane cardboard cutout.

But that wasn't it. More of the tellers quickly draw their .45 Shepherds and through a window upstairs, several people were seen running. Security? Maybe.

"Well, that's different," Boss said as each of the tellers were letting out gunfire. But lucky for the Saints, they managed to get some cover behind a desk.

"You got a plan, or do we shoot all these motherfuckers?" Johnny said.

"That is my plan," Boss said.

"Works for me," Johnny said as he quickly ran off to do what he loves best: shoot people. But not before pistol-whipping a security guard and holding him like a human shield.

"Where's the vault?" Johnny said pointing his submachine gun at the security guard.

"Go to hell," the security guard said.

"You want to play, motherfucker?" Johnny said. Rather than shoot the man, he just threw him to the other side of the room. The security guard landed right onto the statue on the left side of the room and oddly enough, part of it broke off.

Gunfire erupted, with more security guards coming out with firearms.

"Oh my god, you couldn't wait to kill him until we found out who these guys are?" Josh said.

"Eh," Johnny said.

"We're going to die," Josh said.

"What happened to 'I do my own stunts'?" Johnny said.

"Hey, do these look like squibs to you?" Josh said.

But the Boss wanted to remain professional. All he wanted was to get the job done.

"Alright people, let's find that vault," Boss said.

Josh, who wanted to conduct research for his role, stood right in front of a red door with a star on it.

"That's right, you fuckers!" Josh yelled. "We're comin' for you!"

Josh let out a kick to try to bust open the doors, but he positioned the foot in an awkward way that he fell backwards and hurt his foot in the process. Johnny, however, was more successful and the security guards stood right before them with weapons drawn. But Johnny quickly opened fire at one of the guards when the door opened. The Boss went in and started spraying more security guards with lead. Boss and Johnny dropped each of them until the blood blended in with the red carpeting.

"I can't believe you launched that guy into a statue," Josh yelled to Johnny.

"I can't believe you're still thinking about it," Johnny said.

"Do you want to know who these people are?" Josh yelled.

But Boss cut in and said, "Listen, all that matters is the vault. Let's find that and get the hell out of here."

But right above them over a staircase was something that they didn't expect. The security guards were packing, but these people didn't look like security guards. There were men in black jackets and pants with a red shirt with a pink star on it. There were women in trench coats but looked like they were wearing some type of lingerie.

Boss stood there and looked around, as Josh, Johnny, and Shaundi ran towards the staircase. However, Josh ran frantically.

"Is this what it's normally like?" Josh said.

"Well, normally the tellers don't use fucking shotguns," Johnny said.

"Yeah, normally banks don't look like a palace, either," Josh said. "You see those statues before you blew them up?"

"Will you forget the horses?" Johnny said. "These guards are packing military grade hardware!"

More of those people came out with the colors red and black. Both men and women. Even some women wore some sort of presentable clothing, but not without midriffs and cleavages showing. Some of the men even had red suits with black shirts with pink stars, as well black suits with red shirts and ties. Were they some sort of criminal organization? Did they have some kind of influence in Stilwater as well?

"Who the hell are we robbing?" Boss said.

More of them came out of the woodwork in an area with a bridge and another desk. The same color scheme was present. Who owned this bank?

Boss dropped a few men and women and ran up another flight of stairs. Right before his very eyes, Shaundi looked like she was caught by one of those mysterious soldiers and was ready to shoot her. But Shaundi quickly thought ahead and switched around and put the man right against the wall and sprayed the man with bullets.

"Hey, Shaundi," Boss said. "The vault's open, let's go."

"Right, Boss," Shaundi said and followed him inside.

Josh knelt on the ground.

"I…I can't breathe," Josh said.

Shaundi, annoyed at this, begrudgingly helped get the Gat head off of him so that he could breathe better. Shaundi took off her mask as well.

Meanwhile, Boss and Johnny were trying to open the safe but it had a special code to open it.

"No way we're cracking this thing," Johnny said. "Ready for Plan B?"

"Yup," Boss said. "Josh, get over here."

Josh ran right towards the Saints with the bag.

"Got the tools right here, homes," Josh said and turned around. Boss unzipped the bag, which contained explosives.

"So what's Plan B? We drill it?" Josh said.

"Fuck no," Johnny said. "We blow it."

"WHAT?!" Josh said. He knew that he was not only in over his head doing this sort of thing, but he was the only one of the crew who knew who the Saints were robbing.

"Not cool, man!" Josh said.

Boss held a bomb right in his hands. He was the only one of the crew who still had his disguise on.

"Time to get to work," Boss said.

But he wanted to do it a different way. "Come on, I know where we can set them. We can set them above the vault. Let's go."

Boss led the other three up another floor of the bank.

"Hey, I think we've got company," Josh said as he heard some chatter from below and in other areas.

Shaundi looked through the window right in front of her. "Looks like they're coming in from the lobby."

Below, more guys with similar getups from the bodies that were dropped before came in packing some serious heat. The three Saints blasted the window and started opening fire while Josh cowered in fear.

"Shaundi," Josh said.

"What?" Shaundi said.

"We need to talk," Josh said.

"We really don't," Shaundi said in an annoyed tone as she continued to fire at the ground below.

"It's just…if I die here, I don't want things to go unsaid," Josh said.

"I should be so lucky," Shaundi said with that same annoyed tone. She knew that Josh had it bad for her, but she didn't feel the same way.

Boss went into the floor where there were cubicles around. Seemed like the area for other employees for that bank.

A young woman, presumably a customer or employee, with a purple hoodie saw the Boss coming.

"Oh my god, you're the Saints!" the woman said. "You HAVE to sign this for me!"

She got out a little notebook. Lucky for her, the Boss was nice enough to sign it and also let her live.

"Hey, anything for a fan," Boss said.

Josh approached the young starstruck woman and posed for her. "Hey, Josh Birk. Don't be starstruck, I'm very approachable. Want me to sign your breasts?"

"Um, no, that's alright," the young woman said.

"Yeah, well, you know, buy 'Nyte Blayde' on DVD," Josh said.

Boss, however, was focused on the task at hand. He found an open spot to set the bomb.

"Alright, everyone!" Boss said. "Move out of the way! Hey, young lady, get out of here."

The young woman had left the area as the timer started. Everyone jumped out of the way before the timer would go off.

BOOM! The floor was not the only thing blown open, but also the walls and ceiling, as the wall that faced the Stilwater Hotel was blown off. Boss, Shaundi, and Johnny all regrouped and saw the big gap in the wall that the explosion left.

Josh cowered near a desk but saw a red button under it.

"Hey, let's get the chopper and lift this baby out of here," Boss said.

Josh got up and saw the three standing there. "Hey, guys, you can call off the helicopter. I found the way to open the vault."

But Johnny figured that Josh wasn't too bright and also figured what the actor meant.

"Don't touch it!" Johnny yelled. But it was too late. Josh had pushed the red button, letting off an alarm.

The alarm blared, much to the anger of the three Saints.

"Josh!" Shaundi said, pointing at him. "Are you trying to get us all jail time?"

"What?" Josh said. "I don't want to be some dude's bitch!"

For that, Josh ran away like a coward and left the three Saints by themselves to deal with the cops on their own.

"Do I have to go after him?" Shaundi said.

"Forget about it, he'll be fine," Johnny said.

The whole floor was in shambles, with flames burning some debris, as well as sparks flying from electrical units. To say that the bank was in bad shape would be an understatement.

"How long until the chopper gets here?" Shaundi said.

"I don't know, probably like two waves of SWAT guys?" Boss said.

"Sounds about right," Shaundi said.

The Boss, Johnny, and Shaundi stood there and awaited the inevitable, as they looked right towards the window, with rappels dropped from higher ground and SWAT members rappelling down.

"Here they come!" Johnny said.

But Shaundi came prepared, as she yelled "Flashbang!" to throw a flashbang grenade with a huge flash taking up the entire floor.

"I haven't had this much fun in years!" Johnny said.

Several SWAT guys came in through the windows with Johnny opening fire at each and every one of them. More came up through a walkway above and were met with bullets from the three Saints.

"I'm going to kill Birk if I see him again," Shaundi said. Even in the midst of a gunfight, she picked this time to make a comment, no matter if she were to get shot in the process.

"Ah, I thought you two really had something there," Boss said, while shooting more of Stilwater PD SWAT members.

"Oh, don't even go there," Shaundi said.

"Hey, just sayin'," Boss said.

The Boss didn't hold back on the gunfire as more SWAT guys came in but were met with their own deaths before they could even draw their weapons.

"The chopper should be here soon," Johnny said. "We just got to hold out a little longer."

But some SWAT guys came in with some protection. It was going to be hard to take them down now.

"They busted out the riot shields," Shaundi said.

One of the SWAT guys rushed towards the Boss with a riot shield. But he clearly didn't know the leader of the Saints, as he let out a swift kick and knocked the SWAT guy down and pumped him full of lead, no matter how armored this man was. He was able to keep him down.

Shaundi heard a propeller coming from the outside. Could it be their support to take the vault? Well, no. It was something else.

"Really, a fucking attack chopper?" Shaundi said.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Boss said.

"A bunch of assholes," Johnny said.

But there were only two things they could do. It was either run for cover or try to fight it off. While it would be safer to run for cover, Shaundi suggested shooting the helicopter. The chopper fired a lot of rounds through its chain gun, as well as a missile. It was a miracle that the missile missed the three Saints, who sprayed at the helicopter with everything they had. It wasn't long until Shaundi saw another helicopter with a hook of some sort. She was sure that it was their ride.

The helicopter closed in and went to a halt to lower the hook. The Boss went ahead and hooked the latch onto the vault and signaled to the pilot that they should go now.

"You two go out the back," Boss said to Johnny and Shaundi.

"And you?" Shaundi said.

"I'm staying with the vault," Boss said.

"We'll see you when we touch down," Shaundi said.

After Shaundi and Johnny left, Boss yelled to the pilot to get going.

"Where'd all this security come from?" the pilot said.

"Stay calm and stick to the plan," Boss said.

There were countless SWAT guys out on the roof. Boss saw this as the vault ascended via the helicopter. It wasn't just them that were a concern. He saw the same attack chopper from before.

"I thought I shot that thing down," Boss said.

Through a speaker, the pilot of the attack chopper yelled, "Troy can't bail you out of this one! Make this easy on the squad for once. Please autograph and put down your gun."

For some reason, that pilot was right. Troy Bradshaw, the chief of the Stilwater Police Department, still had ties to the Saints as he was their contact, despite working undercover with them years prior. However, he and the Boss had an understanding and bailed them out multiple times. But he was unable to do it this time.

The helicopter with the vault moved slowly.

"Why the hell are we still here?" Boss said.

The pilot of the chopper said, "The controls are not responding!"

"Then get it fixed," Boss said. "I'll hold off the cops."

"You can't kill them all," the pilot said.

"I don't appreciate that kind of negativity," Boss said.

Any SWAT guy who tried to shoot at the Boss was met with lead. But the attack chopper wasn't done yet.

"This publicity stunt is over," the police pilot said. "We have to take you in."

The attack chopper fired a missile, while other SWAT guys continued firing at the Boss, even as he ran from one corner of the vault to another. Luckily, he was able to avoid getting shot.

"Get us higher!" Boss said.

"I'm trying not to get shot here!" the pilot said.

The pilot tried to fly away, but not before breaking some more of the bank's roof off with the vault hanging there. Even with that happening, the SWAT guys still stood on the roof, while the Boss hung on for dear life. But that didn't stop him from firing at the SWAT team. Nor did it stop the pilot from hitting the nearby building.

The police pilot kept on telling the Boss and the Saints' pilot to put the vault down. Other helicopters came out. One was to bring in more SWAT guys. Another was a standard Oppressor helicopter with what appeared to be a sniper, except this man didn't look like a cop. This man wore a red suit. Who ran this bank, especially on Saints' turf?

"Turn yourself in," the police pilot said. "My son wants to meet Shaundi."

But the Boss wouldn't have it anymore. He aimed right for the windshield of the attack chopper and fired every round until it was blatant that the helicopter would lose control.

"That's right, don't fuck with the…" Boss said, until he saw that the attack chopper lost enough control that it was headed towards him and the Saints' pilot. The attack chopper spun around until it went head on against the Saints' chopper's tail, breaking it off.

As luck would have it, he was still close to the roof of the bank. It was either jump or fall. He thought forget about the vault and just jump right onto the roof. The hands barely managed to catch onto the edge, but he made it and climbed onto the roof with so much relief…until a the remnants of the Stilwater SWAT team approached him with guns drawn to him lying there.

"Well, shit," Boss said.

"You're under arrest," the main SWAT guy said.

"Yeah, yeah, spare me the rights, I know what my rights are," Boss said.

One SWAT guy moved his leg back and kicked Boss right in the torso, but Boss laughed at that reaction. It wasn't long until they took the mask off to reveal his identity. One guy threw the Johnny Gat head down to the ground.

The SWAT guys got him up to his feet to take him away. Shaundi and Johnny were nowhere to be seen. It was likely that Stilwater PD had caught them.

* * *

**Hours later**

Two uniformed cops had brought in the leader of the Saints, now wearing a dark gray suit with a purple shirt under a dark gray vest. He looked around and his main support, Troy, was nowhere to be seen. He was probably out at that moment, which was likely why he didn't bail them out earlier.

One of the cops opened up a door to a holding cell. He and another cop shoved the Boss right into the cell.

"The fuck is this? We paid up this month," Boss said.

"Someone paid more," one of the cops said before closing the door.

Boss and Johnny stood, while Shaundi sat on the floor.

"What happened?" Johnny said.

"We got arrested," Shaundi said.

"No, to us," Johnny said. "Birk's right. We traded our dicks in for pussies. Seriously, movie deals, commercials? The Saints' name used to mean more than body spray and some ass-tasting energy drink."

"Our brand's worth a shitload of money," Boss said.

"Is that what's all about?" Johnny said.

"It's always about the money, Mr. Gat, which is precisely why our employer wishes to speak with you," a female voice said. In walked two pretty women who happened to be twins. They both had black dresses on and were accompanied by men and women wearing black and red. The men had suits, while the women wore some revealing clothes, but was similar to how Shaundi was dressed. The one who was talking had a pair of white-framed sunglasses on her head.

The other twin, who had a pair of similar sunglasses on her head, except the frames were pink, said, "If you will indulge us, we'll take you to him."

Could this organization be who ran the bank that they tried to rob earlier that day? So many questions were on the minds of the Saints. Who could be running a bank like that in Stilwater?


	2. I'm Free - Free Falling

Way high in the sky flew a plane that was of Steelport Airlines. What seemed like a typical commercial airline plane was actually a front for the gang that the Saints had tried to rob not long before.

The Boss, Johnny, and Shaundi were brought into what appeared to be the personal office of the head of said gang. The office contained a mini-bar, a desk, and a screen on the wall with pink stripes on it. This was no ordinary airplane from this airline. The three Saints were placed on seats with their hands tied behind their backs with a few gang soldiers standing behind them to ensure they don't try anything funny.

Right in front of them was the desk and screen, along with the twins from before. It wasn't long until the chair at the desk spun around, revealing an older man with gray hair, wearing black suit with a red scarf, red vest, and pink tie, along with that same pink star on his jacket. He also had a cigarette in hand that was ready to be smoked. The man sat there with his right leg placed on his left knee in such a relaxed fashion.

The man had quite an air to him, like he was powerful and loaded with the kind of finance that likely paid off the Stilwater PD earlier. No matter how much the Saints could try paying them off, it seemed that this man had at least four times more than what the Saints had.

"You have any idea who you're fucking with here?" The Boss said.

"Of course," the man said, as the twin with the white sunglasses placed a Johnny Gat bobblehead right next to her boss. "A remarkable likeness. These visions are of Viola and Kiki." He said pointing out to the twins, with Viola being the one with the white sunglasses and Kiki being the one with the pink sunglasses.

"And I am Phillipe Loren, chairman of a multinational organization called the Syndicate, as well as my own organization within the Syndicate, the Morningstar."

"Never heard of it," Shaundi said.

Phillipe took a puff of his cigarette. "Evidently not, or you would not have robbed our bank. Perhaps you're wondering why you're still breathing at this point."

It was now clear to the Saints. No wonder the bank had such a décor similar to this room of the plane, as well as some of the people whom lost their lives at theirs hands had a similar fashion sense. The question on their mind was how they managed to own a bank in Stilwater, when the Saints owned the city.

"Actually, I wonder why foot's not up your ass at this point," Johnny said.

Phillipe scoffed at that remark and got up from his chair.

"Like it or not, Mr. Gat, our organization is expanding into Stilwater," Phillipe said. "I am offering you the chance to leverage your assets against your lives. It was time that I got to meet the famous Saints of Stilwater. I have heard my share of stories. You took over the city twice, whether it was when dealing with some rich kids who liked to race but also wanted to be gangsters. Or some gang members who were connected to a record label, or even one of the oldest gangs that went to a halt at your hands. Then there was the second time, when you took the city back from some drug-peddling Caribbean gang, or the Ronin, who wanted to make their presence known in America. Or my personal favorite, who would have been clients of mine, The Brotherhood. Let's not forget your little war against the Ultor Corporation, whom you decided to work for. You people had done it all. For that, I am impressed."

He looked towards the twins. "Ladies, will you do the honors?"

Kiki and Viola now stood close to the screen, which displayed a pie chart of a percentage deal that the Saints and the Syndicate can work with.

"You may continue to operate the Saints/Ultor media group as you see fit, in exchange for 66 percent of your monthly gross revenue," Viola said.

"That is before taxes, of course," Kiki said.

The Boss looked up at the chart and started having flashbacks.

 _Man, this reminds me of when that asshole Maero tried to lowball me into a 20-80 deal for money and territories._ He thought.

"Listen, you French fuck…," The Boss said.

"Please, I am Belgian," Phillipe corrected him.

"So make yourself a fucking waffle," Johnny said. "We're done here."

Phillipe scoffed at Johnny's stubborn attitude. "And I had so hoped to come to a rational business arrangement."

One of the Morningstar soldiers approached Johnny and drew a .45 Shepherd and pointed it right at his head. Before the soldier could pull the trigger, Johnny quickly popped up and charged right towards that same soldier and knocked him to the floor. Before the soldier could fight back, Johnny punched the man in the face. But in that moment, Johnny turned around, only to be met with a knife to the gut from Phillipe.

Johnny grabbed Phillipe and drove his head towards a window, shattering it, letting in a lot of the air at thousands of feet above the ground. Phillipe put his hands on his face as he felt some pain on it. Viola and Kiki approached him and got him out of there, while Johnny took care of other soldiers, despite having the knife in his stomach. It wasn't the first time he had been stabbed there, but how he was functioning in spite of it was anybody's guess.

Johnny quickly untied the Boss and Shaundi from their chairs. In that very moment, some man in a uniform walked in and said, "What the hell's going…?"

In such quick succession, Johnny got the knife out of his stomach and threw it right to that man's head. Johnny looked around, he just knew that Phillipe would send some more Morningstar soldiers to off him, Shaundi, and the Boss.

"Boss, you got to bail!" Johnny yelled.

"No, not without you," The Boss said.

Right then, a couple of male Morningstar soldiers, along with two female soldiers with TEK Z-10s came in ready to open fire. The three Saints quickly ran for cover as the Morningstar soldiers were spraying bullets towards them.

"There's like, half a dozen guys?" Johnny said. "I can take 'em."

"What about the plane?" Shaundi said.

"I'll fly it back to Stilwater," Johnny said.

"Johnny, you can't even drive stick," Shaundi said. "How you gonna fly a plane?"

The Morningstar soldiers kept firing away.

"Details, details," Johnny said. "Just cover the Boss! Go, I got this!"

Johnny quickly got up and grabbed the machine gun and went to town on anybody who dared walked in with guns drawn.

* * *

The Boss and Shaundi went right into the next area. This area appeared to be the airplane equivalent of a party bus, with seats lining up the walls like if they were benches. Flat-screen television monitors on opposite ends. This was almost like the first-class section for the Morningstar. Not to mention that the same type of décor was in this section, complete with red carpeting and a big star on the center of the aisle.

With the plane flying, the Boss held onto the wall right by the door.

"We can't leave Johnny!" Shaundi said.

"Gat can take care of himself," The Boss said, as he saw a few Morningstar soldiers in his line of sight. "We gotta deal with these guys."

Right when a soldier got closer, The Boss laid a hard hand to the gut and spun around to elbow the guy in the back of his head, sending him falling to the floor and stomping on his head. Another guy tried to attack him, but with Boss's back towards him, he wrapped his right arm around the soldier's neck and flipped the man over his shoulder, like he delivered a snapmare takeover. The man landed in a sit-down position, giving the Boss an opening to kick him in the back of his head.

Meanwhile, Shaundi handled her own matters by taking another man down and delivering a few blows to the face with her fists while he was down.

 _"Attention, passengers, this is your new captain speaking,"_ Johnny said over the speaker. _"Our updated flight plan has us landing in Stilwater."_

The Boss and Shaundi looked up with confused looks on their faces.

"What is he doing?" Shaundi said.

Through the speakers, it seemed that some soldiers went after Johnny, who seemed like he was in the cockpit if he took over the PA system as there was someone talking in French.

 _"I'd like to remind all passengers to remain seated and enjoy the flight,"_ Johnny said.

"Great, who gave Gat a mic?" The Boss said.

More Morningstar guards came in, ready to fight, but The Boss had other ideas. He rushed right towards the male guard and delivered a hard dropkick. Shaundi, on the other hand, handled the female guard as best as she could.

 _"GET THIS DOOR OPEN!"_ a voice said through the speakers.

 _"I can see some of our passengers are getting restless,"_ Johnny said. _"Here's some relaxing music for your enjoyment."_

Oddly enough, some easy-listening music played over the speakers. The Boss and Shaundi wanted to get out of there. They didn't have time to worry if those Morningstar soldiers were down completely. So they went ahead into the next section, which looked like passengers sat.

At the very end of the aisle stood a Morningstar soldier with a pistol in hand, pointing it directly at the two Saints.

"Oh, fuck me," The Boss said.

Neither he nor Shaundi were armed. Lucky for them, right before he could fire the weapon, the plane moved a certain way, causing the floor to slant and the guard to drop his weapon.

 _"My apologies, your captain is having troubles finding the clutch,"_ Johnny said.

The Boss rushed towards the soldier and delivered a hard clothesline. He picked up the gun and opened the door, only to find more Morningstar soldiers in the cargo area of the plane.

Johnny spoke through the speaker once more. _"I'm opening the cargo bay doors. Find some chutes and jump out the back, it should be clear."_

The cargo area had crates, as well as vehicles. Some of note were a Criminal and an Infuego with the same type of color scheme as the Morningstar. Like the Saints, as well as other gangs that the Saints had dealt with in the past, they had cars with their flag's colors.

Oddly enough, they had a Kayak in there with a blue and black color scheme, as well as a Bulldog with a green and black color scheme. The Boss realized that this was more than just one gang he was dealing with and they seemed to be in it together.

Several Morningstar soldiers tried to fire at The Boss and Shaundi, who went for cover behind the crates and/or cars in the cargo hold. Each of the Morningstar soldiers was met with their own deaths at the hands of The Boss and Shaundi.

 _"Alright, motherfuckers,"_ Johnny said through the speaker.

Through the speaker, some Morningstar soldiers yelled that the door was open, but it was implied that Johnny got him. Some yelled "kill him," and by that, it meant to kill Johnny. But they weren't so lucky.

 _"You're going to need more help than that, Frenchy,"_ Johnny said.

 _"I…am…Belgian!"_ Phillipe said through the speakers.

 _"Same thing!"_ Johnny said.

 _"I am going to cut that disrespectful tongue from your mouth,"_ Phillipe said.

 _"Oh yeah? You and how many of your…?"_ Johnny said. _"Oh, that many."_

Right then, the sound of silence came from the speakers. The only sounds were of gunshots and the breeze coming from outside of the plane. All The Boss and Shaundi wanted to do was get out of there. There were some moments when the ground started to move, but it didn't affect them.

Once they saw that they were done with the Morningstar soldiers, The Boss grabbed a parachute and was ready to make the jump. But before Shaundi could do the same, she went right for the intercom.

"Johnny, we're about to jump!" she said.

Through the speaker, there were sounds that Johnny was struggling against Phillipe and other Morningstar soldiers.

Johnny said, _"Right on, I'll see you in Stil-"_

But before he could finish his sentence, gunshots were heard. Shaundi looked up with a concerned look on her face. Could Johnny have been killed? Or could the gunshots come from a gun he was using? So much worry flowed through her head right then.

"Johnny?" Shaundi said.

The plane started to shuffle, as it seemed to have gone through turbulence. Shaundi had no time to get a parachute. The Boss rolled down the ramp of the cargo hold, while Shaundi slid. The Boss was lucky to catch her. But the cars tumbled down and pushed them off.

Shaundi had no parachute. It was up to The Boss to find her falling in the sky. So much debris flew through the sky, whether it was the Infuegos, Criminals, Kayaks, Bulldogs, or the crates, it seemed that the Syndicate lost their cargo.

The Boss dove through the sky. However, the Morningstar had other plans. It didn't stop them from trying to further eliminate them as several soldiers came out with parachutes as well. One even caught up to him.

"The fuck did you come from?" The Boss said and quickly elbowed him on the shoulder and head and quickly grabbed the TEK from him. But he wasn't done, as gunshots came falling through the sky. So for that, The Boss used that soldier as a shield against the Morningstar. He fired at will, making sure that he or Shaundi doesn't get killed in the sky before hitting the ground. But some of the Morningstar soldiers suffered that fate, anyway.

But it wasn't over for them. Some even dove and turned around to face The Boss and still tried to shoot him in midair.

 _The fuck is up with these guys? I thought The Brotherhood and The Ronin were relentless, but you guys?_ The Boss thought.

It was no time to reflect on the Saints' conflicts with past gangs. All he was worried about was finding Shaundi and then maybe he will deal with these guys later. Besides, could they have killed Johnny? Though Shaundi felt that they could have gunned him down, there was a side of The Boss that thought otherwise.

It wasn't long until he caught up to Shaundi, who sighed heavily in relief the moment he caught up to her. The Boss held her in his arms and let out the chute.

"I'm not gonna lie, for a minute I didn't think you'd make it in time," Shaundi said.

"Are you kidding me? I'd never let my girl fall…," The Boss said, only to look up and that same plane in front of their very eyes. "Wait, what is that?"

"What is what?" Shaundi said.

"That plane, it's…," The Boss said. "Okay, don't freak out or anything, but I think that plane is going to try to ram us."

"What do you mean 'don't freak out?" Shaund said. "Do you have a plan?"

"Yeah," The Boss said. "I shoot out the window, land in the plane, kill Phillipe, then jump out the back again."

"You mean _we_ , right?" Shaundi said.

"Look, just remember how happy you were when I caught you," The Boss said.

Shaundi's eyes widened. "Wait, wh-?"

The Boss threw her off his arms to the sound of her yelling "ASSHOLE!" as the plane got closer.

"Shoot the window and land in the plane, the fuck was I thinking?" The Boss said to himself.

The plane got even closer. He drew his TEK and let out a lot of bullets hitting the windshield. He crashed through the cockpit and into the party area, kicking a Morningstar soldier in the face. He flew through the kitchenette and the coach area and once he got to the cargo area, he spray a barrage of bullets towards another Morningstar member, grabbed the body to use as a shield as he hurled more and more rounds into some more Morningstar soldiers, as well as a gas barrel, causing an explosion and back in the sky he was once again.

"Well, two out of four ain't bad," The Boss said.

That did not stop any more Morningstar members to chase after him. The Boss did what he had to do before he could reach Shaundi once again. He gunned a few down. One guy grabbed the Boss, but the Boss punched him a few times before pumping some rounds into the man's chest.

"How much shit was in that plane?" The Boss said out loud.

There was more debris in the sky at that point, with cars having exploded from the gunfire, as well as palettes and crates on fire. Several cars of the Syndicate were in the air as well.

It wasn't long until he found Shaundi once again and was not going to let her fall like he did before.

"Got ya!" The Boss said and let out the emergency parachute.

But Shaundi wasn't as relieved as before. "You're a fucking asshole!"

"Okay, I deserve that," The Boss said.

"Gee, you think?" Shaundi said.

"Look, can we argue about this went we get lower?" The Boss said. "Now's not the time."

Shaundi shrugged while she was in The Boss's arms. No one can blame her for how she felt in that moment.

* * *

Back on the plane, Viola checked on the bodies in the office and put the chair back up. Kiki lit up another cigarette that Phillipe was about to smoke.

Phillipe looked like he was in bad shape. He had bruises on his face and it looked like he was missing his left eye. He also had a bloody nose. It seemed that he had a rough battle with Johnny.

He sat in his chair and turned to face the screen, which featured a young gothic guy with long black hair and a black and blue outfit. It seemed that he was the leader of one of the other gangs. He looked really young. His name was Matt Miller.

The other guy had a green, black, and pink lucha mask. It was definitely that same wrestler from that cardboard cutout, known only as Killbane. Maybe he was a part of the syndicate.

"Gentlemen, negotiations were…less than successful," Phillipe said and banged his hand against the desk. "Viola and Kiki will spread the word: Steelport belongs to the Syndicate, and the Saints are not welcome."

Phillipe paused, then continued to talk and looked towards the wrestler. "Mr. Killbane, gather your Luchadores and bring me their leader's head." He looked towards the young goth. "Mr. Miller, hack into the Saints' accounts, leave them nothing."

Kiki looked behind her and saw a few of the surviving Morningstar soldiers carrying Johnny. He looked battered, bruised, and bloodied. To top it off, one of the lenses from his sunglasses had broken off. The soldiers carried him by both of his arms and he was seen coughing.

"Phillipe," Kiki said and signaled to him to look towards the wounded and battered Gat. "What should we do about him?"

Phillipe took another puff of his cigarette. "I know what the Saints are capable of. I'm going to send them a message. I figure that they won't comply, so if they try going for us, we'll be ready. And once we're all done with them, then he's done."

"Fuck you, Frenchy!" Johnny yelled.

Phillipe approached Johnny. He said, "You don't know who you're fucking with here, Mr. Gat. You're just a mere man. You're lucky that I got someone here to put some salt into your wounds, otherwise you'd be dead already. I could have killed you, but I didn't. I want to send your leader a message my way."

"You'd be dead already if your guys didn't jump me," Johnny said.

For that, Phillipe pressed the cigarette's cherry against Johnny's left cheek, to be met with a loud scream.

"Keep this up, Mr. Gat, and I will send you to either the Luchadores or even worse," Phillipe said with an evil smirk on his face.

However, the twins looked at Johnny and saw how bad of shape he was. Somehow they wondered, but also figured what the "worse" thing Phillipe meant.

* * *

After The Boss and Shaundi landed, they were in an unfamiliar territory. The Boss threw the parachute into a dumpster. They walked through an alleyway and wondered where they were. They were met with street vagrants, as well as hookers. The Boss figured the only thing he could do was get some money. For what reason? Only he knew.

There was an ATM for Steelport Bank and Trust. He was set to make a withdrawal of one million dollars, only to find the funds were insufficient.

"What the fuck?" The Boss said.

"What? How could this have happened?" Shaundi said.

"I don't know," The Boss said. "Someone must have taken all of our money before we could get any money out."

"It has to be those Syndicate guys," Shaundi said.

"Gee, you think?" The Boss said.

For that The Boss punched the ATM and broke the screen. Because of that, he knew that The Syndicate was not messing around here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was it. I will get to the next one soon. Yes, Johnny is still alive, which is one of the changes. There'll be more changes.
> 
> I also will note that I wanted to give Phillipe a little more dialogue, especially when referencing the past gangs that the Saints dealt with. I also believe that the Morningstar were the ones that the Brotherhood from SR2 were supposed to work with during that stronghold mission at the airport.
> 
> Stay tuned for the next one.


	3. We're Going to Need Guns

The Boss and Shaundi stood around. Right before their very eyes was what seemed to be the red light district of where they were. It was located under an overpass. This part of town not only had sex workers on the streets, but also a sex shop, a strip club, and quite possibly a mini-brothel. This area had a pink light shining over it.

Where are we? The Boss thought. This seemed to be a new area to him. Suddenly, he heard his cellphone rang. He had the earpiece on him and quickly picked up.

"Hello?" The Boss said.

_"Hello, this is Phillipe Loren. The body of Mr. Gat will be a message for all those who oppose the Syndicate. There is no mercy, only death. Don't mourn your friend. You'll be joining him soon."_

"What? You guys killed him? Listen, you asshole, I will…" The Boss said, only to get the sound that implied that the call had ended.

"Boss, what happened?" Shaundi said.

"It's that prick Loren, he said that they killed Johnny," The Boss said. "I'll fuck him up the next time I see him."

"Loren's going to pay for this," Shaundi said.

"I want to take him down, but somehow I think that Johnny is alive," The Boss said.

"How is that possible?" Shaundi said. "I heard the gunshots through the speaker. He didn't talk again after that."

"Johnny has survived more than that," The Boss said. "I am surprised that he was even walking after he got stabbed. Remember when he got stabbed by the Ronin? It amazes me that he was still moving after that. Shit, he even got shot in the leg once."

"I don't know, Boss, what if he's really dead this time?" Shaundi said.

"That's what I'm afraid of, maybe these guys mean business," Boss said. "But I just feel that he's not dead. Though I am afraid of what they might do to him if he is alive."

The Boss continued to look around while he and Shaundi were walking through that district. He still can't grasp where he and Shaundi were.

"We'll need a car," Boss said. "Shaundi, you got any idea where we are?"

"Steelport, it's kind of like Bangkok's abusive father," Shaundi said.

"That bad, huh?" Boss said. "Been here before?"

"Spring break," Shaundi quickly replied. The way her tone sounded seemed like a memory she'd rather not relive.

The Boss looked around and saw some graffiti on the walls and one thing puzzled him.

"Great, what the fuck does 'Feel Boss' mean?" Boss said.

"You _don't_ want to know," Shaundi said.

An alley at the end of that part of town with graffiti on the walls, there was a Neuron just parked there. Both Saints walked up to that car and broke into it, while the Boss just went forth and started hotwiring the vehicle as Shaundi entered the car.

"Okay, whatever," Boss said. "You know where we're going?"

"Look, I was really high the last I was here," Shaundi said. "Just drive, it'll come back to me."

The radio came on and immediately, a news report came on with news reporter Jane Valderamma giving the report.

" _The celebrity of the 3rd Street Saints was put to a violent and destructive test in Stilwater. Patrons of a local bank were subjected to a mock hold-up by this internationally popular gang. However, excitement was replaced with panic when shots rang out and blood began to decorate the lobby. During the ensuing firefight, the bank's vault was ripped from the building, showering rubble down onto the bystanders below. The extent of the damage landed the Saints, like so many celebrities before them, in jail - at least for a few hours. This is Jane Valderamma with your Celebrity Crime News._ "

Not long after that, another report came on.

_"Like some hellish children's book, the sky has fallen in Steelport. Ten people are dead after several cars came raining out of the sky, crushing an apartment building in a fiery blaze. Dozens of bodies, along with a number of crates and mangled vehicles filled the streets nearby. Looters raided the scene before the police arrived, salvaging car stereos and sex dolls from the debris. The city morgue has not released the names of the victims killed in what seems to be a mid-air accident, and no plane wreckage has been found. This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Disaster Report."_

The Boss drove along the street and said, "So, about getting a gun…"

"Why don't you just look up Friendly Fire on your phone?" Shaundi said.

"What?" Boss said.

"It has GPS, right?" Shaundi said. "Check your map."

Boss made a stop a red light and checked his GPS. He found the location to Friendly Fire and entered the nearest location to head to it and then started driving down the street toward a bridge.

"We should let Pierce know what's up," Boss said.

"I texted him, he's bringing the crew," Shaundi said.

"Looks like we'll need more guns, any ideas?" Boss said.

"Yeah, we raid the Guard Armory," Shaundi said.

"They have one of those here? Right on," Boss said, liking Shaundi's idea.

"You can't be serious," Shaundi said, dismissive to this idea.

"We need guns, they have guns," Boss said. "I don't see the problem."

"Getting shot comes to mind," Shaundi said.

"Blah blah bullets blah blah, I just flew through a fucking plane," Boss said, as he made a left under an L-train track near an Image As Designed.

"Also a shitty idea," Shaundi said.

"Whoa, Pierce, where'd you come from, I thought I was talking to Shaundi," Boss sarcastically said.

"Not cool," Shaundi said.

"'Cause I mean, Pierce, well that guy bitches about everyting and-," Boss said.

"Alright, alright, we'll pick a fight with the military," Shaundi said.

"Good times," Boss said.

Shaundi looked around and saw some dark alley. "Wow, that still exists?"

"What?" Boss said.

"That's where I used to score weed," Shaundi said.

Based on what Shaundi just said, Boss had an idea.

"Anyone from the Spring Break days still live around here?" Boss said.

"Yeah, I keep up with one of my exes," Shaundi said.

"Is his place big enough for the crew?" Boss said.

"I already offered it to Pierce and the boys," Shaundi said.

"Eh, that doesn't really answer the question," Boss said.

"I know," Shaundi said.

Right then, they pulled up to Friendly Fire. They both got out of the Neuron and entered the gun store. Shaundi offered some money Boss to use on ammo and/or an extra weapon. The most he needed was extra magazines for his .45 and TEK. They were in and out of there in a flash.

"Where's this armory?" Boss said.

"Not far, it's on the GPS," Shaundi said.

They both got back in the Neuron and headed straight to the armory. It was only two of them ready to face the National Guard head on. They may have faced some team of mercenaries for the Ultor Corporation and other gangs, but was this a good idea? They were outnumbered. Either way, they headed for the armory located in Sierra Point right past a bridge.

"Alright, the guns should all be in that warehouse," Shaundi said.

"Great, how're we moving everything?" Boss said.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before attacking an armory," Shaundi said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Boss said. "Seriously, how are we going to do it?"

"Don't worry, Pierce has that covered," Shaundi said.

The moment they passed the bridge, a few soldiers opened fire towards the car.

"Oh shit!" Boss yelled and quickly jumped out of the car, as did Shaundi.

Several bullets broke through the windshield. They would have been dead had they not reacted when they did.

Boss lied on the ground and quickly drew his .45 and popped the soldier in the head with on shot through the soldier's helmet.

"All troops, advance!" A soldier from nearby yelled.

Before the soldier could draw his rifle, the Boss and Shaundi quickly opened fire on him and dropped with a barrage of bullets, leaving him in a bloody mess.

They got closer to the warehouse area, which had chain-link gates. Another soldier contacted some support to help take out the Saints. The soldier opened fire towards the gate, causing the Boss to jump out of the way before he was Swiss cheese.

"Guess they're not letting us in," Boss said.

"Shooting them probably doesn't help change their minds," Shaundi said.

"You have a better plan?" Boss said.

"Shut up, let's just do it," Shaundi said.

The Boss and Shaundi got on the main grounds of the warehouse area. The Boss quickly opened fire and dropped a guard that was close to a staircase. Oddly enough, this place wasn't crawling with too many guards, but that didn't mean that more support wouldn't come.

Even more odd was that the Boss saw a large explosive at the center of the grounds right in front of the warehouse. It would be foolish to shoot at that thing, let alone use it for cover. But what was odd was that two guards came out and started shooting with shotguns as they were several feet away from the bomb, enough that buckshots could hit it.

The Boss and Shaundi quickly hid behind some crates for cover. Though the Boss, like Johnny, would rather go in with guns blazing, he had to be tactical in this. They could blow up if these weekend soldiers aren't careful.

The Boss looked up and aimed his TEK towards one of the soldiers and quickly fired towards the head, dropping him like that. Shaundi just sprayed about 10 rounds to another one. While that soldier dropped, he wasn't dead. Before he could get up, she laid a few more shots into him.

"Geez, look at the size of that thing," Shaundi said while looking at that bomb, which was likely a missile. "Bet that's a hell of a way to end a gunfight."

"Good idea, we'll take it with and find out," Boss said.

Shaundi chuckled at that remark. "Yeah, right. Wait, you're serious, aren't you?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Boss said.

But that wasn't all for them, as another few guards were up on a walkway above in the warehouse. Several of them tried to shoot the two Saints, as Boss ran and picked up an AS3 Ultimax shotgun from a fallen soldier.

All of the soldiers kept on firing at will, trying to make sure they could at least wound them. But Boss remembered one thing: he had picked up some grenades. Considering that he and Shaundi were still outnumbered, there could be one of two ways to go about it. One was play it smart and try to take them down one at a time or all at once. The other was try to go in and blast everyone of them in sight. Even though these were weekend soldiers, it didn't seem like these guys weren't that well trained. Some of them had probably seen it all and decided to just be a weekend soldier after their war experiences.

The Boss slowly went up the stairs, as a buckshot barely missed him by an inch. He signaled to Shaundi so that she could go hide. Another soldier had a pistol and fired, hitting the metal railings of the stairs. Boss had only one shot at this, so he pulled a pin and quickly tossed the grenade overhand and luckily, it landed on the walkway. The Boss jumped forward to get out of the way and the moment he landed, an explosion occurred sending the soldiers flying.

All of the guards were dead. Shaundi was downstairs; while the Boss went down to meet with her. She found something in the back, with green lights glaring over the area.

"Here's the weapons cache, and these look like UAV drone controls over here," Shaundi said as she stood near a table with what looked like some kind computers with that green light. Maybe that was where the green light came from.

"Looks like UAV drone controls? Who the fuck says that?" Boss said.

"Okay, is this really the time?" Shaundi said.

"I'm just sayin'," Boss said.

Though the guards inside the warehouse were dead, that didn't mean that there wasn't any support.

"They should be in there," a voice from the outside said. "They won't last too long."

"Listen, if you cooperate with us, we promise we won't hurt you," another voice said.

Boss and Shaundi hid in the weapons cache.

"What should we do?" Shaundi said.

"Either we wait for Pierce or go out there shooting," Boss said. "Do you have any ideas?"

"No, not really," Shaundi said. "We were lucky we even got the guys in here. For all we know, they might be working for Loren."

"I wouldn't doubt that," Boss said. "I got an idea. No time to explain, just follow my lead."

Boss led Shaundi to some stacks of palettes. They had to remain covered, but Boss let out a few shots just to buy a little time. There seemed to be more soldiers out there than before. They were as good as dead if they even showed themselves, despite what was said before. It was possible that the National Guard was on the Syndicate's payroll, unless Senator Monica Hughes probably had more of a hand in government agencies.

The Boss signaled to Shaundi to stay there hiding behind the stacks of boards. He quickly got up and pulled his AS3 Ultimax and shot a soldier in the chest while others opened fire towards him on the chest having him drop in the process.

"BOSS!" Shaundi yelled and got out fired away with her shotgun.

"Shaundi, I'm alright," Boss said as he crawled a bit. Good thing that she was holding them off, or else the soldiers would have done him in right then.

Boss and Shaundi covered behind the shelves in the cache area.

"This really seemed like a better idea earlier on!" Boss said.

"You think?!" Shaundi said. "Pierce, where are you?"

 _"You know me...,"_ Pierce said through Shaundi's and the Boss's earpiece.

They were still outnumbered, but they couldn't just surrender. They might not make it if they did.

A set of four Oppressor helicopters flew towards the armory.

 _"…I love to make an entrance,"_ Pierce said through the microphone going to the Boss and Shaundi, all the while the choppers letting out shots towards any weekend soldiers on the ground. One of them even blew up a Bulldog with a soldier on the turret gun, causing the vehicle to flip over.

* * *

Back in the warehouse, Shaundi and the Boss saw that their support had arrived, but that didn't mean that the National Guard's support was done.

"If we're staying, maybe it's time to try those UAV drone," Shaundi said.

"Again with the 'UAV drones,'" Boss said and opened up the control unit.

"Just shut up and use the damn things!" Shaundi said.

The Boss looked through the screen. It appeared that there was a targeting system used to shoot guided missiles and dumb fire missiles, meaning that if that was fired, it will just land from how and where it was fired. No homing or heat-seeking, nothing like that.

"Why aren't we getting the hell out of here?" Pierce said.

"The Boss won't leave without the bomb," Shaundi said.

 _"You got to be kidding me!"_ Pierce said.

"Less bitching, more shooting," Boss said.

Even through the black and white screen, Boss figured that the Oppressors in the sky were his and Shaundi's support. On the other side, he saw a couple of military Bulldogs headed their way.

 _Let's try this new toy._ Boss thought and used the control for the dumb fire missiles. Saw the missiles land close enough to blow the Bulldogs, but missed a couple of others. That didn't stop him from launching more to blow them up this time.

More Bulldogs came, as well as a tank. It was time to use the guided missile controls. Through the speakers, some soldiers yelled about how they needed to shut down the system, but they couldn't. The Boss guided a missile headed towards one tank and saw that it damaged it, but not enough that it was destroyed, except for maybe the Bulldog. He used another dumb fire missile to blow up the tank completely.

He alternated between the dumb missiles and guided missiles to blow up with whatever was left of the army's support.

"You think we got enough guns?" Shaundi said.

"No such thing," Boss said.

"So once we're loaded up we're going after Loren, right?" Shaundi said.

"Don't worry, I got a plan," Boss said as he continued to fire missiles through the drones.

"How's it coming, Pierce?" Boss said.

 _"Almost packed up,"_ Pierce said.

"The sooner the better," Boss said.

But Boss wasn't done. More Bulldogs and tanks headed their way. He gave them everything he had with the drones.

 _Man, I love this shit._ Boss thought. He realized that this weapon was a lot more fun to use than he initially thought.

 _"We're all set, get in the chopper,"_ Pierce said.

"On our way," Boss said and closed up the control system unit. He decided to take that weapon with him.

There was a lot of wreckage on the grounds now, as well as so many bodies of fallen soldiers. All there was left to do was leave the premises. Shaundi had gotten on one of the choppers already. So Boss went and followed suit.

* * *

They flew from Sierra Point, the area of the armory. But it seemed that the National Guard was not done. More Bulldogs were on the road, now Vulture choppers where in the sky, as well as Tornado choppers. To top it off, there were even Commander boats in the water.

Pierce was in another helicopter that was hauling the bomb.

 _"Dammit, these guys area pain in my ass!"_ Pierce said through Boss's earpiece.

"We can't let them blow up the bomb, or Pierce, that'd be bad," Shaundi said.

"I'm on it," Boss said. He had a K-8 Krukov in hand. He was ready to defend the bomb and the rest of their team. Lucky for him, Shaundi had the right amount of firepower for this task.

All of the helicopters were moving at a fast speed.

"Be easier if they weren't moving so fast," Shaundi said.

But Boss and Shaundi fired at the helicopters while sending barrages of bullets towards a few. It wasn't long until at least one blew up while in the sky. Boss kept firing at other choppers. More kept coming out.

"Pierce, just keep going," Shaundi said. "We're clearing them out."

But the Vultures in the sky kept firing at the Oppressor, some even used missiles. Lucky for the Saints, the missiles missed.

 _"I'm still getting hit here,"_ Pierce said.

Boss and Shaundi kept shooting and shooting until at least another chopper or two went down.

 _"What's taking so long to get those things down?"_ Pierce said.

"Fuck, keep it steady up there," Shaundi said.

It was hard for Boss and Shaundi to keep firing at all of these helicopters. Though they found the right amount of ammunition to keep up as they switched magazines often, the problem was that some choppers were a bit higher or lower than they were. It was hard to get a good shot on them.

At this point, they were flying through what appeared to be the downtown area of Steelport, as there were tall buildings, three red lights swinging around, as well as lights glaring on buildings.

After hearing the news report earlier, this won't be the only time that debris had fallen from the sky, as a lot of wrecked helicopters blew up in the sky. Better hope that no one was in the buildings that the wreckage landed on. But for them, they were glad that there were no more helicopters to deal with. Or maybe not the case, as a couple of more came their way when they flew over Aparice Island, where an industrial plant was. Boss and Shaundi, as well as other fellow Saints in the other Oppressor helicopters kept firing away. After they were done, they found themselves in Brickston.

"I see my ex's place," Shaundi said. "Take it down over there."

 _"There's gonna be enough room for this shit, right?"_ Pierce said.

"Maybe?" Boss said.

 _"Don't think these dials are supposed to be spinning like this,"_ Pierce said when he landed the helicopter.

Boss and Shaundi looked at each other with an expression of "huh?" Either way, they were home free and got off the choppers to get into the apartment.

* * *

Boss and Pierce looked at their new arsenal that they picked up. It looked like they were well equipped. Shaundi walked in while the two men continued to look at their new weapons.

"So what's next?" Shaundi said.

Boss was examining a pistol and said, "What's next is you go back to Stilwater."

"What? No, this is my fight, too," Shaundi said and picked up an assault rifle on the counter.

Pierce held a TEK in his hands and said, "Girl, you don't get messy. Let us take care of business."

"Fuck you, I'm doing this for Johnny," Shaundi said.

Boss and Pierce looked at each other and nodded. It turned out that she was right about this.

Boss said, "Alright, well, if we're going to bring in the boys, we're going to need a new place."

"You're worried about real estate?" Shaundi said. "We have guns, let's use them."

"Relax, Shaundi, we got it all covered," the Boss said.

"Are you sure about this?" Shaundi said. "You don't seem worried about Johnny or anything like that."

"Excuse me, you think I don't care?" Boss said. "All I said earlier was that I don't think that the Morningstar or the Syndicate killed him. I have as much as of a right to do this as you do, but we really need to find a way before they get to us."

"Boss's right, Shaundi," Pierce said. "You can get messy all you want, but from what I hear, the Syndicate runs this entire city. They're all in this together. This ain't like dealing with the Sons of Samedi, the Ronin, or the Brotherhood. They all had their own shit to worry about, but these guys, they're all one whole unit. We got to play it smart."

"As much as I give Pierce a hard time sometimes, he's right," Boss said. "I know I can go in and get shit done, but this is something big we're dealing with here."

Shaundi just looked at the two men and nodded her head. "Okay, we'll do it your way."

The Saints were in unfamiliar territory now. It was time to see about getting back at the Syndicate for this. Sure, they could just go back to Stilwater, but with Phillipe Loren wanting to expand his empire into that city, what were the chances that the Morningstar could just follow the Saints back.

It was time to make sure that wouldn't happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it for this one. Okay, I'm debating what I should do for the next one. I may add some stronghold bits, as well as bits involving other members of the gangs. One thing that I didn't like about the Syndicate was that each of the gangs didn't have other prominent members like the other gangs in past games had. For example, the Vice Kings had Benjamin King, Warren Williams, Tony Green, and Tonya Winters. I could go on, but for the Syndicate, the only one that had additional prominent members was the Morningstar with Viola and Kiki. I'll see what I will do for those.
> 
> Also, the next one was where Pierce has the Boss check out some stuff. Regarding bits with activities, I may do the ones that have the gangs involved. Not sure about the ones like Mayhem or Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax, but I will see. I will see what I could do next. Feel free to give suggestions in a review. Later.


	4. Steelport, Here I Am

After the long day that went into night, the Saints decided to crash at that apartment where Shaundi's ex-boyfriend, or at least one of them, stayed at. Other members of the crew came in from Stilwater and crashed in some hotels or motels in the area.

The Boss decided that they should stay in Steelport to see if they could at least try taking the fight to the Syndicate. Though their home was in Stilwater, it was time to check out this new territory. It would be normal to go back to Stilwater as it was their city, but with Phillipe Loren owning that one bank, it was possible that the Syndicate would move in on the Saints' turf.

The Boss looked around. He saw that Shaundi was asleep. She had a long night, as she joined him on not only the heist, but also fell out of a plane and also almost got killed by the National Guard. The Boss may sleep sometimes, but this wasn't one of those times. He noticed that Pierce was gone. He probably went out for something, maybe Freckle Bitch's. The Saints loved their food, especially their breakfast food.

He continued to look at Shaundi. He was sure that she was stressed out about what happened to their long-time friend Johnny Gat. It was great that she cared, but maybe there was more to it. It had been a few years since Aisha's death, so maybe Shaundi started to gain some feelings towards him, but he wasn't sure. Even then, he even wondered if he felt that way about her. It wasn't time to think about that, though, as he wanted to see what this new town had to offer.

He got out of the apartment building. It appeared to be late morning going into noon. He walked down the street of Brickston and from the looks of things, this area didn't seem that much different from Sunnyvale Gardens, though not as rundown. Hell, he even remembered when Saint's Row was rundown until the Ultor Corporation completely gave it a new overhaul.

He got out his phone. He saw the Pierce left him a message that said that he went to get some food. But he didn't want to just do nothing. He needed to find a way to see what this town had to offer, so he called Pierce. The call went through until Pierce said, "Hello, Boss."

"Pierce, where are you?" Boss said.

 _"Boss, I am just out getting some food, you're up?"_ Pierce said.

"Yeah, just needed to get going, I let Shaundi get some rest," Boss said. "She needed it after we almost got killed last night. Anyway, how's the crew settling in?"

 _"Man, we got to get a new place,"_ Pierce said. _"That studio shit ain't working at all."_

"Spent too much time in posh hotels, huh?" Boss said.

 _"I can't help it if the rest of the world treats the Saints right,"_ Pierce said.

"Doesn't mean we should get soft," Boss said as he walked down the sidewalk.

 _"I hear ya,"_ Pierce said. _"Listen, how about you and me roll around the city and see what Steelport has to offer?"_

"You convinced me, in fact I was thinking the same thing," Boss said. "Meet me at the park, I'll pick you up."

 _"See you there,"_ Pierce said.

The Boss looked around. He just knew that this was a step in getting back to his old tricks. Not to say that the heist nor the attack on the armory wasn't a step in that direction. But after becoming a media superstar, he had little time for criminal activity. He figured that he needed a car to go meet with Pierce. He saw some random cars pass through, but then there was a familiar color. It was a blue and black Solar passing through. It had the exact same color scheme as what he saw on that place. The pattern was similar to the red and black cars, as well. Maybe this was from another gang in the Syndicate.

He went forth and stopped the car in its tracks and opened the door and threw the man out, who was wearing a black and neon blue outfit. It looked the blue on it would glow if it were dark outside. No time to figure out which gang it was, he just needed a ride. The Boss just quickly sped off, even though he saw through the rearview mirror that some of other members of said gang started coming out and drawing weapons. Being that the Solar was a fast enough car, he just made a break as soon has he hit the gas.

The Boss put it on the radio, just then a news report came on.

_"A light rain can refresh the soul and wash away the stains of the day. When that rain is several tons of metal, the stains are all that's left of the people caught in the downpour. Several National Guard helicopters suffered from some form of malfunction during what officials are saying was a training exercise. Though several eye witnesses report one helicopter carrying what looked like a bomb, no confirmation is being given. The wreckage is being cleared away and taken for further analysis in the hopes such an event will never happen again. This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Breaking News."_

The Boss rolled down whatever path the GPS told it to go. It said that Pierce wanted to meet in Sunset Park in Downtown Steelport. He crossed the bridge that separated Brickston and New Baranec. It seemed that Sunset Park was eastbound as it was in the southern part of that island.

It wasn't long until the Boss found his way into Sunset Park and Pierce said to meet him in the park. A Neuron pulled up and Pierce popped out through the window and yelled, "Hey, Boss, over here!"

The Boss turned around and saw that the car appeared bland. "Pierce, where did you find that car?"

"Hey, I just took it off whoever, it don't matter," Pierce said and moved to the passenger side. "This care could use a little tuning. Let's find a Rim Jobs and get it cleaned up."

"Good call," Boss said and moved to the driver seat and put the car in drive.

The Boss found an opening and just drove back onto the road and headed straight for a Rim Jobs. The GPS said that there was one in Henry Still Mills.

"Shaundi's taking this whole Gat thing pretty hard," Pierce said.

"We all are," Boss said.

"I know, but you're always pissed off," Pierce said. "Our girl's not as crazy as you."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her," Boss said. "Though I think that the Morningstar is fucking with us a bit."

"What do you mean?" Pierce said.

"Loren told me that he is dead," Boss said. "But I have my doubts. Either way, we're still going to get that son of a bitch."

"What if he really is dead?" Pierce said.

"All the more reason to take that French fuck out," Boss said. "People should know better than to fuck with us."

"Well, if he ain't dead, they'll probably kill him sooner or later," Pierce said. "I got a feeling that these fools will fuck him up before we can get him. I know Johnny is a tough guy, but he almost died when he got stabbed by the Ronin. Remember?"

"Yeah, I do," Boss said.

"How long were you rolling with Gat, anyway?" Pierce said.

"Long time," Boss said. "He was there when I first joined the Saints."

"Shit, what was he like back then?" Pierce said.

"He mellowed with age, and then Aisha died," Boss said. "Then he was fucking pissed."

"Oh, I remember _that_ ," Pierce said.

"But he has mellowed out a bit since then, you know that and I know that," Boss said. "But I know that he still misses her to this day."

"Shit, I never lost a girl like that, but damn," Pierce said. "That'll change anybody. A side of me thinks that Shaundi was getting sweet on Johnny before this."

"I think I saw the same thing, but I really can't know for sure," Boss said.

They got to the Rim Jobs on Henry Mills Island. It was east of the bridge. The two Saints pulled into the garage and got out.

"Hello, is anyone here?" Boss said.

Through a door walked in a Chinese man with a goatee and a jumpsuit. This man had a familiar look to him. He looked up and saw the Boss and Pierce.

"Oh shit," the man said.

The Boss took a closer look and took off his sunglasses. "Holy shit, Donnie, is that you?"

"Fuck me," Donnie said. "Look, I don't know how you found me but I am out of that gang shit. You know the Rollerz and Brotherhood are done. What do you want from me now?"

"Shut the fuck up, Donnie," Boss said with his hands giving a "stop" gesture. "Listen, we're not here to kill you or anything. I am just surprised to see your ass here."

"Yeah, well, after I heard that you killed Maero, I knew it was time to leave Stilwater," Donnie said. "Like I said before, I didn't have shit to do with killing Lin, either."

"I never thought you did," Boss said. "I knew that it was that guy Sharp who did it. But that's not why we're here. We want a tune-up on this ride right here."

Boss pointed to the Neuron, which looked dirty.

"Is that it?" Donnie said.

"That's it, I don't have beef with you or shit like that," Boss said. "Just want a new paint-job and stuff."

Donnie nodded his head. He called out some of his fellow mechanics and stuff to give the car a fine tune-up and new color. The Boss wanted the car to have it be black with a purple racing stripe. It took about an hour, but the car looked good as new. The Boss paid up for the job.

"Thanks for the new color and stuff, Donnie," Boss said.

"Hold on, listen," Donnie said. "You're in a different city now. I heard that the gangs around here are something different. Be careful out there."

"We will," Boss said. "All that stuff is a wash, so in exchange, keep me informed about what you see around here."

"I will," Donnie said.

The Boss and Pierce got back into the Neuron, ready to take off.

"Car's got more style, now it's our turn," Pierce said. "Let's head to Planet Saints."

"I don't know, man, that's like wearing the band's T-shirt to the concert," Boss said.

"Nothing wrong with wanting to look good," Pierce said.

"Hey, I always look good," Boss said.

From the outside, some men and women who wore red and black looked up and looked closely at the two men in the car. One guy was wearing a red jacket with a black T-shirt and a pink star on it. One girl was wearing a black jacket and black pants with a pink crop top. Another had the same get up except her top was red.

"They're here," the girl with the pink top said. "We need to let everyone know."

"All of _our_ crew?" one of the guys said.

"Wherever they cross," the other girl said. "We need to inform the Luchadores and the Deckers about this."

* * *

They drove along the rode to the sound of silence.

"We need some driving music," Pierce said.

"See if you can find something good," Boss said.

Pierce went through the radio stations until he got to The Mixx 107.77 with "What I Got" from Sublime starting to play.

"Oh shit, this was my shit when I was younger!" Boss said.

They rolled down the streets as they sung along to the song. Though the Boss gave Pierce a hard time quite often, he still had fun with him. He started him to respect him more, even more than when Pierce first joined the Saints.

The Planet Saints location that the GPS guided the Boss to was located in Salander. It wasn't too far from where that apartment was. In fact, they were on the same island known as Stanfield. The song had ended by that point.

Planet Saints was a store that the Saints had opened up. It became a rather popular clothing retailer in Stilwater that it became a franchise. Though other places like On the Rag and Sloppy Seconds still got business, this one got more business. Inside, the layout was purple like the Saints' colors and also had pictures of Pierce and Shaundi, as well as displays of Saints bobble-heads, as well as the Saints Flow mascot, the can with arms and legs. In the back was a statue of a female angel/demon hybrid holding guns in hand.

The Boss went in put the sunglasses he wore into a pocket of his jacket and decided to buy a new pair of shades. A male shopper and the girl at the counter looked up with so much shock and awe at who just walked into the store.

"Oh my god, it's you!" the female cashier said.

"Yeah, it's us," Boss said. "Just doing a little shopping."

"Can I get a picture with you?" the girl asked.

"Sure, but after I make my purchase," Boss said. The girl nodded her head.

He bought a pair of Gat style shades but wanted them with black frames and purple lenses. He went to the counter to make his purchase.

* * *

Outside, a red and black Justice pulled up. The driver, who was a male, had a pair of binoculars in hand and looked inside.

"They're inside," the driver said and looked to the passenger, another male. "Let everyone know."

It wasn't long until a blue and black Kayak pulled up, as well as a green and black Compensator. To top it all off, a red and black Criminal pulled up with…a rather large person on the bed of the truck.

"Time to go," Pierce said.

After the Boss and Pierce were ready to leave, they saw that the Morningstar was out there, and they weren't alone.

"Oh shit," Boss said and looked to the shopper and cashier. "Hey, you two, go out the back. It's about to get messy in here."

The cashier and customer looked outside and jumped at what they just saw. They didn't have to say anything. They knew what the Saints were up against. Without hesitation, they scurried to the back to remain out of sight. Only the girl knew about a back door to get out so they won't get caught in the crossfire.

Boss and Pierce drew their weapons and headed outside. Right in front of them was a rather large bald person with black pants and a white tank-top running towards them.

"What the _fuck_ is _that_ thing?!" Pierce yelled.

"Something very pissed off," Boss said. He quickly got out his TEK machine gun and started blasting away, but that thing can only take so much.

The Boss went right back into the store, trying to run from the large human. The brute swung his left hand and sent the Boss flying towards a glass case used to display some stuff. The Boss flew back first onto the casing, shattering it in the process. But the brute was not done, as he was ready to stomp on him.

"No!" Pierce yelled and sprayed a barrage of bullets to the brute's back, causing it to turn around and focus on Pierce. The Boss sprayed some bullets into the brute. The brute shoved Pierce towards a statue of the Saints Flow mascot. The Boss continued to pump some bullets into the thing, even if it meant emptying a magazine on it. It still wouldn't take it down.

The brute got closer and grabbed the Boss by the neck, but the Boss didn't give up. He drew his .45 and delivered a few shots to the head, but the brute didn't go down, though he let go of the Boss. Pierce ran to the Boss's aid.

"This guy means business," Pierce said and helped him get up.

"You think? He flipped a fucking car!" the Boss said.

"He on steroids or something?" Pierce said as he tried to fire away at the brute.

"I'd go with 'or something,'" the Boss said.

Pierce saw that some Morningstar soldiers, along with some other gang members dressed in cyberpunk gear and some guys with military-like clothing but with lucha libre masks out there with guns drawn.

"Boss, we better take care of this cat before those assholes get the jump on us when we get out," Pierce said.

Even with the store's alarm sounding, the cops were likely going to arrive soon. They were likely on the Syndicate's payroll as well. Pierce and the Boss kept shooting at the thing, giving it everything that they had until the brute fell to his knee.

The Boss remembered that he had a grenade from the night before. "Been saving this for a rainy day."

He tossed it like someone would with a baseball in the palm of his hand before pulling the pin and shoving the grenade into the brute's mouth. In a matter of seconds, an explosion occurred causing the brute's head to burst with blood and brain matter splattering all over the wall nearby and the floor of the store.

After what he just went through, the Boss figured that the smartest choice was to go out the back where the cashier and the shopper went through. They found a door that headed right to the left side of the store where the Neuron was parked. It seemed that more Syndicate cars were out there, as well as Steelport PD vehicles.

They went ahead and got into the car and just sped off. Both men took deep breaths at what they just encountered.

"That big fucker wasn't normal," Pierce said.

"You think?" Boss said.

"I've seen some scary motherfuckers, but the way he was shrugging off bullets…," Pierce said.

"Yeah, something wasn't right," Boss said. "At least he's dead."

"I hear that," Pierce said.

"I mean I've seen some guys that were hard to take down," Boss said. "Maero, Victor Rodriguez of the Carnales, they were some massive motherfuckers, but this thing was something else."

The Boss stomped on the pedal to go faster. Pierce figured that if he saw any cops or Syndicate members, he would just blast away. But the Boss had only one thing on his mind and that was to get them off their backs. He knew that if he went into the apartment, the cops would just back off. If it worked for them in Stilwater, it would have to work in Steelport.

He remembered where the place was as it was not far from there. It wasn't long until he got there and pulled the Neuron into the garage, as he and Pierce got out of the car. Some cop cars followed them. They fired at them as they headed straight for the door to the building and quickly went up the stairs to get inside the apartment. The Boss headed right for the window to peek outside. It seemed that the cops and any Morningstar started to retreat. The Boss sighed in relief.

"Are the cops gone?" Pierce said.

"Yeah, they're gone," the Boss said.

From behind a female voice said, "Where were you guys?"

The Boss and Pierce turned around and saw Shaundi standing there. She stood there with her hands to her hips, like she wasn't happy about them being gone.

"We went to scope the town, see about some shit," Pierce said.

"We ran into a familiar face, we almost got killed by some large motherfucker," Boss said.

"And you took off without me?" Shaundi said.

"You were sleeping," Boss said. "I didn't want to wake you up. You had quite a night last night. You needed the rest."

"Bullshit, not if I wonder if Johnny is dead or alive," Shaundi said.

Boss got closer to her and said, "Look, Shaundi, I am worried about this myself, but you need to calm down. We'll take down the Morningstar soon. Just wait. We will find out if Johnny is alive or dead. You just need to calm down. Right now, Pierce and I will go and check out some more shit in the area."

Shaundi sighed at that and nodded her head. As reluctant as she was to go along with this plan, the Boss had a point. Though the Boss would rather go in and start shooting, he didn't know this area and didn't know what the Morningstar, or even the Syndicate as a whole was capable of. They were set to find out for themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, that's it for this one. I know it hasn't been long, but I feel like I'm on a roll. The next one is, you guessed it, "Party Time."
> 
> Anyway, I had thought about what happened with Donnie, so I decided to have him appear. Though he was in "Enter the Dominatrix," I heard he was initially supposed to be in the main game of Saints Row IV. Check out the wiki and you'll see that there were unused audio logs and stuff. He may appear again, just wait.
> 
> I also thought it would have been better if the other Syndicate gangs would come after them. I know that the games are not realistic, but really, after what Boss and Pierce went through with the brute, I am sure that shooting gang members would be the last thing they would want to do. While I am trying to do it similar to the games, I am trying to also put a touch of realism, like using cover and such.
> 
> Until next time, peace out.


	5. Party Time

It was now evening. The Boss took off to handle some others in Steelport. He had gone with Pierce to check out some businesses in the city and they were almost killed when they went to Planet Saints. Neither of them knew what the deal was surrounding that big lug who almost killed the Boss. Both men were lucky to take it down and get out of dodge before the Syndicate could have gotten to them if they got out the front door.

The Saints leader had strolled along the streets of Downtown Steelport. The only thing on his mind was to put the hurt on the Syndicate, even though their main problem was with the Morningstar. If anybody had to guess, the Saints could try taking down the Morningstar, but where would that leave the other two gangs? Only time will tell.

He passed by an Apollo's doughnut shop on Henry Mills Island and pulled over to get out his phone. Being that Pierce seemed to be the go-to to get the information on the Syndicate in Steelport, the Boss made the call to him.

The call went through. _"Hey, Boss, glad you called. Think I found us a new place._ " Pierce said.

"Pierce, you were supposed to be looking for Loren, not going house hunting," Boss said.

 _"See, that's the beauty of this place – it's owned by the Morningstar,"_ Pierce said.

"Alright, I'm listening," Boss said.

 _"The Morningstar have a penthouse downtown where they're throwing some big party for their global contacts,"_ Pierce said.

"And their real estate agent will be there, right?" Boss said.

 _"Real funny, I was going to say crash the party, kill the Morningstar, and keep the place for the Saints, ha!"_ Pierce said.

"I'm game, what's the plan?" Boss said.

 _"The Saints will be downstairs until you can unlock the elevator for them to come up,"_ Pierce said.

"Wait, if I can't go up, then how will I…," the Boss said. "Oh, right, penthouses." He came to a realization.

"That's right," Pierce said. "Meet me at the airport."

The Boss drove eastbound to the airport. Wesley Cutter International is in the New Colvin district.

Dammit, Pierce, what are you getting me into? The Boss thought. Though he liked the idea of taking the penthouse from the Morningstar, he was unsure of this idea of jumping onto the penthouse. Though he had parachuted before, it wasn't to say that he enjoyed doing it, at least at times. Either way, he agreed to do it.

Along the way, while the Boss was listening to K12, a news report came on.

_"For those who work in retail, life can be full of monotonous sales and customers that make one wish torture was legal. However, for a few employees of Planet Saints, life recently became well worth the pain: the leader of the Saints and Japanese commercial superstar Pierce Washington stopped by to do a little shopping. Though no autographs were signed for the hard workers at the store, shoppers were treated to a show of skill when an enraged man attacked the Saints after they exited the store. The ensuing fight showed bystanders that the Saints had not gone soft as international celebrities. This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Celebrity News."_

It wasn't long until got into the airport. The Boss didn't care about going through the terminal, so he just went in to where the runway and the hangars were. He saw a purple Infuego near a helipad with Pierce standing with a few men and women dressed in purple. The Boss knew it was his men over there. He pulled up and parked. It was time to get this party started.

* * *

It had gotten darker. The Saints had acquired an Eagle helicopter to fly over to the Sunset Park area of Downtown Steelport. The found the building. It looked like a happening place with lots of people there having a good time. Several Morningstar soldiers were even having a blast too.

Up above, on the chopper, the Boss was having a look at the area through a pair of binoculars. The penthouse had a helipad, with stairs going towards a patio area with a swimming pool and hot tub.

"Whatchu thinkin'?" Pierce said.

The Boss looked through the binoculars. "Some asshole is in my pool."

Through the Boss's earpiece, Shaundi started talking. _"The crew's ready downstairs. Say the word and we crash the party."_

"Let's do it," the Boss said and looked towards Pierce and the other pilot to fly a little further.

"I need a little distance to land," the Boss said.

Pierce and the other pilot flew the helicopter a little farther. The Boss saw that it was perfect to make the jump from where they flew to.

"All right, you're clear," Pierce said.

The Boss looked down. He was set to make the dive. He took a deep breath and he was off.

 _I really got to stop doing this shit._ The Boss thought. Once he was closer, he pulled the cord to open the parachute. He glided all the way down until he hit the helipad. He looked around was intrigued by the view, especially towards a couple of skyscrapers that were connected by bridges with the sides of the buildings having large screens with bright pink lights. One screen said "Welcome to…" and the other said "Steelport."

He reached for his earpiece. "Shaundi, I'm in. Soon as I find someone with the elevator code, I'll unlock it."

 _"Just give the word, Boss,"_ Shaundi said.

The Boss walked up the stairs from the helipad. He saw that a lot of people were having a good time and then he noticed some Morningstar soldiers, as it clear by the colors they were wearing. Even some of the female soldiers wore stuff like corsets, while others wore pants, but still had low-cut crop tops.

One Morningstar soldier was standing by the railing right next to the stairwell to the helipad. He had a stripper dancing right in front of him.

I just need to see who knows it. The Boss thought. He went right for the one nearest to the helipad. He grabbed him and drew his .45 Shepherd and pointed right to his forehead. The stripper was scared at was going on in front of her, so she just took off running.

"What's the code to the freight elevator?" the Boss said.

"Go to hell!" the Morningstar lieutenant said.

"Oh, I love it when people say that," the Boss said and proceeded to press the barrel of the pistol to the man's head.

"Fine, code's 3-1-3-1, just watch the jacket," the lieutenant said.

Just then, several Morningstar soldiers drew their weapons. Several party guests took off running. The Boss went behind that same lieutenant and grabbed him in a stranglehold and put the pistol right to his head. He walked backwards and then went down the stairs while still holding onto the soldier. Rather than shoot him in the head or snap his neck, the Boss dropped his pistol on the pad and grabbed the man and hurled him off the pad, sending him flying down towards the street.

"Learn to fly, asshole!" the Boss said. "Damn, Pierce picked a nice place for the crew. Time for some action."

He went up the stairs; several partygoers and strippers were running around and/or cowering in fear. The moment the Boss got up, gunshots flew towards him. Some were even carrying Grave Digger shotguns and TEK-Z-10s. On top of that, some held some guests and entertainment in human-shield positions.

Though the Boss was no stranger to killing innocents, he had since mellowed out a bit and usually chose not to kill any innocents, at least on his own free will. He let out a shot when he aimed at the head of one male Morningstar soldier who held a stripper in a stranglehold. The girl was covered in blood, which was her cue to get out of there. A female soldier did the same thing to a male guest. The Boss let out a shot to her head and the guest just got out of dodge like the stripper did.

With some guests cowering in fear, as well as running, the Boss just left them alone and just fired away at any Morningstar soldiers. A couple of with the SMG's blasted away, even hitting a few guests running and dropping them in the process.

The Boss saw a few men and women cowering close to the pool and said, "Stay here until the shooting stops. If you see bodies of those assholes in red, just get the fuck out of here."

A few of the people nodded their heads in response to that comment. The Boss fired a few shots towards a couple of female soldiers. One took a couple of shots to chest, as blood was seen dripping out of one of her breasts. The other took a shot to the chest and stomach, as a wound was seen close to her belly button and another near her cleavage. Another soldier sprayed a barrage of bullets close to the glass window that showed the penthouse. The Boss quickly went for cover near a chair and a parasol. He saw a window as he peeked right around the corner and laid a shot towards the glass, shattering it. He laid a shot towards the soldier's right leg, causing him to drop the machine gun and laid a slug right to the man's chest.

The Boss made a break for the inside, only to see that there were some more Morningstar soldiers in the upstairs area and other areas. A female soldier was patrolling the area to see if the Boss would come through, though he had one thing in mind: to have his support come in.

However, a male soldier wasn't the only one who was trying to be subtle, as the moment the Boss was slowly going up the stairs to get inside, a male Morningstar soldier get out from behind a corner in the swimming pool ready to flank the Boss. He was ready, as he did not cock the shotgun he had, but there was one thing he did not think of. As the Boss was ready to head inside, he heard a dripping sound coming from behind. It was almost as if someone was raining water from their body. With the submachine gun in hand, the Boss quickly turned around and saw that the Morningstar soldier was ready to fire his shotgun, only to be met with 10 shots to the chest, sending him flying into the swimming pool, with the water turning red from the blood dripping out of the man's body.

The Boss was now inside. He saw a few soldiers looking around, but he decided to leave them alone. A male soldier patrolled the gym area that was right of the living room area. The Boss slowly sneaked in and picked up a weight that was on the ground with both hands and as soon as the soldier turned to face him, the Boss clocked him right in the face with it, sending him falling. As soon as the soldier hit the ground, his face met the crushing impact of a 45 pound weight smashing his face in. It was now time to let the cavalry inside.

He looked around the place. It seemed very nice in spite of the blood, dead bodies, and bullet holes, but that could be fixed. He even thought about changing the furniture from the bright red and pink to purple and white. He saw a staircase going downward, which meant that was the storage area, which also meant that was wear the freight elevator came up.

A doorway was blocked by some metal drums, but the Boss saw a solution.

 _Nothing some explosives can't handle._ The Boss thought and picked up a grenade, pulled the pin and tossed towards the barrier. BOOM! More Morningstar on the other side, as well as some extra weapons.

 _Look at this shit. No way they're giving this up without a fight._ The Boss thought.

Several Morningstar soldiers were down there. Somehow they got the idea that the Boss was not alone on this. So if he would have gone down there, they would take him out and when Shaundi and the rest of the Saints came out, they would take them out, too.

The Boss let out some shots to the dome of a male soldier, as well as more shots to the chest of a female soldier. That was only two down, but there were more nearby. They even came out in a pack. The Boss hid close to a stack of boards near a pile of wood palettes. They looked like they were talking. The Boss had an idea that they meant to spread out, but he had other plans. He got out another grenade, pulled the pin and tossed it, setting off an explosion killing those soldiers. It was now time to bring in the reinforcements. He saw the elevator door right by the stack of wood palettes with a keypad on its right.

He grabbed his earpiece. "Ready to crash a party?"

 _"We're coming up, keep the door clear,"_ Shaundi said.

The Boss knew that the Morningstar wasn't done. He hid near a stack of wood to be ready. Three Morningstar soldiers came forth to bring down the Saints. One was met with bullets to the head. The other blew up when the Boss threw another grenade towards them.

The elevator door opened. Shaundi stood there with a TEK in hand, along with two female Saints soldiers, as well as two male soldiers.

"What's the plan here?" Shaundi said as she and the rest of the Saints started following the Boss.

"Clean the rest of these bastards out of our new place," the Boss said.

"Easy enough," Shaundi said.

Once they went up the stairs, a few more Morningstar came running their way.

"Boss, our guys are getting dropped off outside!" Shaundi said.

"Sounds good," Boss said.

At this point, many of the surviving guests and entertainers had fled the building. They knew that the gunfight was not over, but they wanted no part of it. All that was left was the Saints and the Morningstar. With more Saints coming up through the express elevator, they came in at the right time to help the Boss and Shaundi. They provided support as they took out a few Morningstar soldiers. Some Morningstar soldiers even tried to hold a few Saints soldiers in a human-shield position. The Boss took them out with headshots. Some even flanked them by shooting them in the legs and finishing the job with fatal shots to the head and/or the chest.

A male Morningstar soldier came out with a TEK-Z10 and faced the Boss. He was ready to let out a few shots.

"Oh shit, Boss!" Shaundi yelled and let out 12 rounds to the man's torso, causing him to tumble down the stairs until his dead body hit the ground.

"How's it going, Shaundi?" Boss said.

Shaundi put down her weapon. "Good news: we've cleared them out. Bad news: the boys are saying this place is rigged to blow."

"Well, shit," the Boss said.

Shaundi looked up and saw a helicopter taking off from the helipad. "Where's that guy in the helicopter going?"

"I bet he knows how to disarm this place," the Boss said.

"Then try not to kill him," Shaundi said.

The Boss went running to the outside. There was no time, so he ran and swam through the pool to get to an Oppressor on the helipad. He ascended elevation. He was going to follow that lieutenant. Some would believe it would be wise to just take off from the penthouse, but the Boss wanted this place as the Saints' new headquarters. So he followed the other chopper.

A lot of the lights were shining in the Sunset Park area of Steelport. Both choppers flew through the air. With one of them heading to another base, the Boss simply went after it.

The Boss talked through the headset. "Shaundi, you got the place cleaned up yet?"

 _"What do I look like, the damn maid?"_ Shaundi said.

"So that's a no then…?" Boss said.

 _"We're sitting on a bomb here, and you're making jokes?"_ Shaundi said.

"Someone needs a nap," Boss said.

 _"Hey, you let me sleep while you and Pierce went to go off and do your thing,"_ Shaundi said.

"You needed it," Boss said. "Whatever, I'm following that guy right now."

It wasn't long until the other chopper landed in a docking area in Salander. This docking area had warehouses and crates. Not to mention some Morningstar members on the roof with RPG launchers, as the Boss saw a rocket coming right towards him.

When the other chopper made its landing, the Boss's phone rang.

"Shaundi, what's up?" Boss said.

 _"Looks like these things are on a coded timer, and the clock's ticking! You got him yet?"_ Shaundi said.

"Just finish cleaning up, I'll get the codes," Boss said.

 _"Nope, no codes,"_ Shaundi said. _"Just four wires: red, green, blue, and black."_

"Yeah, I'll get back to you then," Boss said as he landed on the roof of one of the warehouses. The moment he got out of the chopper, he opened fire on the soldier with the rocket launcher. He knew that there was more around. Whenever he saw anymore, he just took them out. There was no time to fight. He needed to disarm the bomb.

He got to ground level and saw an opening. Said opening had a large door open. The Boss raced inside and the moment he heard gunfire, he threw a grenade to take out anybody who got in his way. There was only a minute and a half to spare. He had to find the guy. He looked around and saw some more Morningstar members armed, but one ran. It had to have been him.

The Boss ran forth towards. Even with some more drawing their weapons towards him, he just shot some in the head.

 _Dammit, I don't have time for these assholes._ He thought and saw that the man went up a few steps in the warehouse. A gate was seen at the end of a small hallway where three more soldiers stood. The Boss quickly pulled out grenade and pulled the pin in that same process and chucked it towards them, blowing them away.

Much to his surprise, that lieutenant didn't go through the gate, but just stood there in fear, as the Boss walked towards him and gripped his right soldier and put the barrel of the TEK to the man's head.

"How do I defuse the bomb?!" the Boss screamed in his face.

"The red wire! Cut the red wire!" the lieutenant said with so much panic in his voice.

"Good boy," Boss said and quickly pulled the trigger, blowing the man's brains right to the brick wall behind him. He called Shaundi soon after.

"Shaundi, cut the red wire," he said.

 _"Damn, I lost the bet,"_ Shaundi said.

"What are you talking about?" Boss said.

 _"Oh nothing, head back now, please,"_ Shaundi said.

"I'll be right there," Boss said. "Just got a mess to clean up."

Knowing that there were more soldiers nearby, he needed to take some more out.

* * *

**SYNDICATE BOARDROOM**

Inside a boardroom somewhere in Steelport, two men were seen talking. One was Matt Miller, the leader of the Deckers. The other was Killbane, whose real name was Eddie Pryor, but preferred to go by his ring name. The boardroom had the same color scheme as seen in the airplane and in the bank that the Saints tried to rob. There were even those Spartan statues as well. At the center was a round table with a gigantic glowing pink star at the center of the table.

Killbane was posing and flexing his muscles similar to a Spartan soldier that was behind him, while Matt was looking through his phone at a camera feed. He was shocked at what was going on in the video feed.

"The Saints aren't going to back down," Matt said.

"Matty, there's nothing to worry about," Killbane said.

Right then, Phillipe, along with Kiki and Viola at his sides. Phillipe now had an eye-patch covering where his left eye used to be from the injury he suffered on the plane. He was also smoking a cigarette.

"My thoughts exactly, Mr. Killbane," Phillipe said. "The Saints are no more than a white noise of empty threats."

Matt felt a vibration in his phone, as someone had sent him a message with some more camera footage.

"With respect, sir," Matt said, as he tossed the phone across the table as it slid.

Phillipe picked up the phone and saw a video with the Boss shooting a downed Morningstar soldier in the back of the head.

"I'd say 'empty' is no longer applicable," Matt said as Phillipe faced him.

But the video wasn't over yet, as the Boss waved to the camera in a mocking fashion and then flipped it off, before pulling out a pistol and firing a bullet right to the camera. Phillipe tossed the phone to the table and started to hiss in a bit of rage.

"Calm down, Phillipe," Viola said.

"You can't let these guys get to you," Kiki said.

"Mr. Loren," Killbane said. "Why don't we handle the Saints? My men can take them out."

"Mr. Killbane, I will send more of my men, your men, and Mr. Miller's men to take care of them," Phillipe said. "Do not underestimate them. They took over Stilwater twice. But we're all in this together. Right now, I'll come up with a way to take them out. You send your Luchadores to face them head on should they cross Carver Island."

Phillipe looked towards Matt. "Mr. Miller, your Deckers should show no mercy if the Saints go into Stanfield. I heard that all of our men tried to take them out today. If you say that they won't back down, then we need to give them all we have."

The twins looked at each other like they weren't sure what to think. Though they're not above getting their hands dirty, it just seemed that things were just now starting to escalate.

"Um, Phillipe," Kiki said. "What about Mr. Gat?"

Phillipe took a puff from his cigarette. "Kiki, you and your sister should just handle the business side of things right now. Right now, I will talk to some of our other members to see what they'll do. Brutus, Grigor, they will handle them."

"Mr. Loren, I have a suggestion," Killbane said. "Why don't I handle that prick Gat? He thinks he is so tough, maybe I'll take care of him myself. Maybe even some of my men can do it." Killbane let out an evil chuckle.

"All in good time, Mr. Killbane," Phillipe said. "You and Mr. Miller just need to get some of your people together. The Saints are not welcome. We need to make it known to them that they don't know who they're messing with."

Killbane nodded his head as a smile emerged from the mouth area of his mask. Matt nodded his head as well. Even though he was the youngest of the leaders, he knew that the Deckers were older and more skilled with weapons than he was. He was sure that they will take them down one way or another.

"We'll talk more about this soon, meeting adjourned," Phillipe said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it for this chapter. I know it was the third time this week, but I was just so tempted to do this and also had the idea for more characterization of the Syndicate.
> 
> Like I said before, I know that in the game, there were bits involving activities. I'm going to do a little brainstorming to see what I'll do. I feel that there needs to be more to the Syndicate gangs than what was seen in the game. Hell, even when you deal with the Luchadores, there weren't a lot of missions surrounding them. At least the Deckers had more missions involving them. I might even throw in some interludes here and there.
> 
> I may get the sixth chapter up in a week, maybe even less than that. Until then, peace out.


	6. Take Over the City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I thought it over and I decided I'll probably split some bits and then do something a little different in the next one. I'll explain more after the chapter. Plus I wanted to end the month with a bang.

It hadn't been long since the Saints had seized the penthouse from the Morningstar, or the Syndicate as a whole, and made it their new headquarters. There still needed to be some work done with the décor, but so far, they changed some of the decorations from pink and red to the Saints' purple scheme.

Shaundi stayed at the apartment in Brickston for the night and needed to take a bit of a break. After all, the past couple of nights were chock full of bullets and blood. The Boss on the other hand, stayed the night over at the new crib. The same could be said about Pierce.

It was afternoon. The Boss went into the main area of the Saints HQ with the window overlooking the pool area. Pierce was sitting on one of the couches with a bunch of stuff on the coffee table, including a set of keys. Pierce saw the Boss coming into the area.

"Hey, check it out, Boss," Pierce said and tossed the keys towards the Boss, who then caught them.

"What's up?" Boss said.

"Since this used to be a Syndicate crib, thought I'd poke around and see what they left behind," Pierce said.

"So what am I looking at?" Boss said.

"Safety deposit keys," Pierce said. "Now don't you want to know what it is they all got locked up?"

"The Syndicate will know we have the keys," the Boss said and tossed them back to Pierce. "They'll be waiting for us to make a move."

"Well, I guess then you better watch my back," Pierce said.

"Alright, let's go," Boss said. "You have a plan?"

"I'll do all the stuff with the keys," Pierce said. "You just watch my back from above."

They got out into the patio area. The Boss saw an Oppressor helicopter on the pad. Pierce had noted to the Boss that he'll take a car. The pilot of the chopper will follow him.

* * *

Inside the helicopter, the Boss saw a McManus 2015 sniper rifle and an Annihilator rocket launcher, along with some packs of extra ammo. The pilot took off as the Boss held the RPG launcher. He had his earpiece in case he had to make contact with Pierce.

"So what's the plan here?" Boss said.

 _"I'm gonna go in, open the safety deposit boxes, get the shit, and then come out,"_ Pierce said.

"Think it'll be that simple?" Boss said.

 _"Fuck no,"_ Pierce said.

"Didn't think so," Boss said.

 _"Just be ready when I come out,"_ Pierce said. _"Follow me in case shit gets hot."_

"Nothing to worry about, trust me," Boss said.

* * *

The Oppressor had flown to an area in Henry Steel Mills. Pierce drove in a purple Sovereign to the get to the bank. However, along the way there, he had noticed some Morningstar Infuegos and Justices on his tail. He just knew that the Morningstar had caught wind of this activity. The Oppressor floated right near a church in that general area. As soon as the Boss saw the purple Sovereign pass through, he heard Pierce talking through his earpiece.

"Alright, I'm coming out now," Pierce said. "Keep my ass covered 'til I can find somewhere to hide."

"On it," Boss said. "You got what you went in for?"

"Hell yeah," Pierce said with so much confidence in his voice, even though danger was about to come his way soon.

A Morningstar vehicle pulled up from around a corner, even in rolling on the opposite.

 _"A little help from up there might be nice,"_ Pierce said.

The moment the Boss heard that, he fired a rocket-propelled grenade towards that particular car. He had done something like this before, like flying a Vulture to protect either Pierce or Shaundi when they made drug deals from rival gangs like the Ronin or the Sons of Samedi, respectively. But this was a little different as he wasn't flying this time.

 _"Don't let these assholes get too close,"_ Pierce said.

The Boss was on the lookout for any Morningstar coming Pierce's way. Anytime he saw members of the Morningstar, he fired a rocket. He even wondered where Pierce was going for his hiding place.

"Geez, Pierce, what exactly happened?" the Boss said.

 _"Now's not the time, Boss, you dropping them or what?"_ Pierce said.

Many of the Morningstar were pulling out from alleys and corners of the streets. It's like they were prepared to hunt down Pierce for what he did.

 _Man, who the fuck sent these assholes out? How did Loren even know about this?_ The Boss thought. Even with that thought in his mind, he didn't lose focus on the task at hand. He had to protect Pierce at all costs.

Pierce turned right on a corner and saw something right in front of him. _"They're blocking the road up here. Help me out."_

But it wasn't just a typical roadblock, as a set of armored personnel carrier vehicles, APC for short, blocked the road. The Boss let out one rocket and reloaded another to shoot another down. The rockets had to have been so strong that these vehicles blew up on impact. But that wasn't all, as Pierce notified the Boss that another roadblock was up ahead. The Boss went forth and let those APC's have it.

 _Man, what kind of connections does Loren HAVE?_ The Boss thought. It wasn't certain that the military drove those vehicles, but Phillipe Loren had to have some kind of links to them that the Morningstar could use such vehicles.

The path was cleared for Pierce now. _"The building is just over the bridge."_ Pierce said.

"I'll find a place to set up," the Boss said.

It appeared that Pierce's hiding spot was on the eastern island known as New Colvin, as the first thing the Boss noticed that on the north end was Wesley Cutter International. The Boss had a cable tied to him so that he could get a clearer view from his vantage point. He carried the rifle out there with him while he was at it.

From above, the Boss saw more Morningstar had come out, as two Infuegos stopped in the street close to where Pierce parked his Sovereign. Though Pierce was armed, he was also outnumbered. The Morningstar could easily gun him down.

The Boss looked through the scope and fired and dropped a few Morningstar. Even when more had come, he had fired at their cars a few times to cause an explosion. He figured that they would run after Pierce. So he just dropped a few, but also had to blow up some if he had to.

Man, I wish I had that rocket launcher right now. The Boss thought. He couldn't just go back to the chopper because Pierce would be as good as dead if he did not keep an eye on him for one second. It didn't help that several Morningstar members even started running after him when he started running towards a factory area. But the Boss did what he could. He kept dropping them and dropping them, but also looked to see if Pierce was okay. He managed to evade them and hide in an alleyway.

It wasn't long until either the Morningstar had fallen back or just stopped coming out.

"Okay, Pierce, you can come out now," the Boss said.

Pierce walked out and saw all the bodies of the Morningstar laid on the ground lying in pools of blood.

 _"Shit, Boss, you ain't lost your step,"_ Pierce said.

"Thought I'd gone soft, huh?" The Boss sarcastically replied. "Anyway, what happened back there?"

Pierce walked back towards his car. _"I went inside and told one of the tellers that I needed to get something out. Some of the bankers looked at me all funny and shit. I went to go take the stuff out and suddenly, one of them sounded the alarm and got the fuck out of there."_

"Thought this through entirely?" the Boss said.

 _"Shit, Boss, I knew that this bank was owned by the Syndicate, so I want to fuck with them a little,"_ Pierce said. _"Hey, listen, I'm about to take some of this shit back to the crib. I'll call you in a bit. I got more stuff for us to do."_

"Got it," Boss said.

* * *

**Two hours later**

It had been a couple of hours. Pierce had gone back to the crib to drop off the stuff he took from the deposit boxes. The Boss just rolled around parts of Steelport. He remembered that Pierce had other plans. So he pulled over and got out his phone to make a call.

Once the call went through, Pierce said, "Hey, Boss, I was thinking if we're going to get a cash flow going, we'll need a business to funnel us money."

"You want to rob some store?" Boss said.

 _"That'll cause more problems than it's worth,"_ Pierce said. _"I'm saying that we buy one from the Morningstar."_

"Because they'll jump at the chance to sell to us," the Boss sarcastically replied.

 _"Nope, because we already have the deed,"_ Pierce said.

"Come again?" the Boss said.

 _"We take the deed from that lockbox and purchase the store in our name instead,"_ Pierce said.

"Well, if they can't argue…," the Boss said.

 _"That's right, meet me at Friendly Fire in Sunset Park,"_ Pierce said.

"See you in a bit," the Boss said.

The Boss drove a Bootlegger that he stole from someone and pulled up to the gun store. It wasn't long until a purple Infuego pulled up and parked behind him. It was none other than Pierce.

The Boss looked up at the exterior of the store. "So, Friendly Fire?"

"Yep," Pierce said. "Best thing is, owning it gives us a discount."

"Nice," Boss said.

The two Saints went inside to speak to the manager. The Boss informed that he wanted to buy the place off of him. Much to his surprise, the manager agreed to sell it for dirt cheap. He didn't care how much he sold it for, because he got tired of working for the Morningstar. For that, the Boss and the manager shook hands for their new deal.

The Boss left the store with Pierce waiting by his car.

"What I tell you? This city's full of businesses and buildings we can snatch up," Pierce said.

The Boss replied, "The more we take from the Syndicate, the better."

"Right," Pierce said. "Though we're going to need Steelport on our side, too. Drive around and see if we got any fans here."

"I think I saw some people wanting a picture of me or an autograph," the Boss said. "Shouldn't be too hard to find some people to get on our side."

"Anyway, I think I found some stuff lying around alleys and shit," Pierce said. "Drive me to an alley. You'll see."

The Boss drove Pierce, who navigated on where to go. It wasn't far from there at all. The moment they turned into an alley, Pierce told the Boss to stop. Right in front of them was something they did not expect: a set of blowup dolls.

"Pierce, what the hell is this?" the Boss said.

"Oh, that? A little hobby of mine," Pierce said.

"Okay, I'm out of here," Boss said. "This is TMI."

"Shit, I don't mean it like that! They're collectible," Pierce said. "It's just to add to the collection. I mean I think I saw some drug packs and money stacks in some places, too."

"People collect some weird shit," the Boss said. "Though the last part isn't too weird. Let's get out of here, I have the need to shoot something now."

"Oh, you're making jokes now, huh?" Pierce said.

"I didn't mean _that_ kind of shooting!" the Boss said. "Whatever, man. What other deeds were in that box?"

"An apartment building," Pierce said.

"Didn't I already get us a new place?" Boss said.

"Brick and mortar, baby, real estate's cheap," Pierce said.

"Oh, I see. Take more money of the Syndicate's pocket and into ours, I like it," Boss said.

Like before, the Boss went inside the building and the manager and owner were more than willing to sell it for dirt cheap. It appeared that these people wanted so badly not to work with the Syndicate anymore, or at least just the Morningstar.

The Boss got out and back into the car and started driving with Pierce in the passenger seat.

"I've seen Morningstar all over the city doing deals and shit," Pierce said. "Arms, drugs, you name it."

"Sounds perfect, maybe we can get the jump on them," Boss said.

"We wipe 'em off a corner, they'll think twice about comin' back," Pierce said.

"But wouldn't we also get some blowback from them, anyway?" Boss said.

"Nothing we haven't gone through before, you know that, Boss," Pierce said.

"Oh, I know," Boss said.

Pierce informed the Boss of the nearest deal going down. He noted that it was in some alleyway in Loren Square. The Boss drove them to where it was going down. Pierce had punched it into the GPS. It appeared that it was in some alley that was behind an older barber shop and a rundown building that had seen better days. What was odd was that the Morningstar were waiting in by a building that was much nicer than the buildings it was close to. It even had a platform and stairs. Some even waited on the platform.

Not wanting to make this go longer than it should, the Boss asked Pierce if he had anything in the trunk.

"Yeah, I got some stuff," Pierce said. "I got a grenade launcher, a rocket launcher…"

"Perfect," Boss said as he popped open the trunk and got out a grenade launcher, an M2 at that. He knew that they were outnumbered, but he wanted to make this as quick as possible.

The Boss and Pierce walked forth to where the Morningstar was hanging out. Pierce was strapped in case he had to fight back, even though he knew what the Boss was capable of. The moment the Boss got closer, he started letting the grenades loose and BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Many of the Morningstar was down after only three explosions. Only one was left, but before that soldier could even open fire as he was about to get up from one of the blasts that he survived, Pierce pumped that guy with some lead, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. Some bodies were laid out even by some dumpsters

"That's all of them, let's go, Boss," Pierce said.

"Good times," Boss said. "Know anywhere else they do business?"

"Yeah, up to the north," Pierce said.

Both men went back to the car and hauled out of there, but not before more Morningstar cars pulled into the alley. The Boss just drove it along out of there. Several Morningstar cars chased after them, while Pierce fired away with his machine gun. The deal that Pierce mentioned wasn't too far from there, as it was going down in a parking lot of all places.

The Boss got out the M2 grenade launcher again. This time he saw the Morningstar members hanging out behind their parked cars. He knew that he wanted to make an impact. So right when he walked past the lot's entrance, he immediately fired three rounds towards the parked cars and again, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Some of the explosions occurred right near the cars, causing even bigger explosions. Suffice to say, no one was left alive from those blasts. However, a sound of a propeller went off right above them.

"Looks like we pissed them off a bit," Pierce said as he got closer to see the burned up bodies and debris from the exploded cars.

The Boss scoffed. "You think?"

"Head to Friendly Fire, that should get them to back off," Pierce said.

"Why would a gun store get them to back off?" the Boss said.

"'Cause we own it, so we got boys protectin' it," Pierce said. "Any place the Saints own should be able to take the heat off you."

"Good to know," the Boss said. "Better than trying to find Forgive & Forget a lot."

"Shit, I haven't found one of those places around here, either," Pierce said. "Let's get out of here."

From above a shot went right for both men, but missed the Boss by only an inch. He figured that was one of the Morningstar snipers.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Boss said.

Both men ran for Pierce's Infuego. Funnily enough, some of the Morningstar Infuegos were pulling up, as they were ready to kill the Boss and Pierce for what just happened. The Boss hauled ass on out of there to head to Friendly Fire. If they can get people off of them by going into one of their safe houses, then this should work, too.

The Boss saw the Friendly Fire up ahead and stomped on the brakes to stop in front of the store, put the car in park. Both he and Pierce got out and saw a couple of Morningstar cars headed their way. They quickly ran to the door and got inside.

One of the Morningstar cars quickly stopped, as the male driver looked closely at a couple of Saints soldiers guarding the place.

"Fall back, everyone," the driver said. "We'll take care of them some other time."

The girl in the passenger seat looked to the driver and said, "What should we Monsieur Loren? They took our stuff from those deposit boxes at that bank."

"I will have to tell Barry about this first," the driver said. "Though Madame Kiki and Madame Viola may be the assistants Phillipe, Barry has also been working to be one of the higher-ranking members of our own organization. He wants to take the fight to the Saints. I will call him in a bit."

* * *

**SYNDICATE TOWER**

Phillipe walked through a hallway with Kiki and Viola, as well as Matt by their side. He saw a man with a black jacket and black pants, as well as a red button-down shirt standing by a door with a "keep out" sign talking on the phone in French. The man was Barry.

["I will let Phillipe know,"] Barry said. ["He's right here right now. I'll call you later."]

"Barry, what's going on?" Phillipe said. "I heard that the Saints have taken some stuff that's rightfully ours."

"They're trying to muscle in on our territory, Monsieur Loren," Barry said. "One of them stole some of things from the deposit boxes, as well as a store and apartment building from under our noses. One of them even killed our men who were supposed to make some deals with some potential buyers today."

Phillipe sighed in anger at what he just heard. It appeared that the youngest leader was right. The Saints were not to be underestimated. Phillipe even realized that before.

"I should not have underestimated them," Phillipe said. "But I know that they will not win against us. They have never dealt with something like us before and I have the one thing that is keeping them afloat."

Several sounds were heard from the other side of the door. It sound like punches and other attacks, as well as yells of pain. Kiki and Viola looked at each other with wide eyes at what was going on. Matt even felt the same way. As young as he was, he was not used to this kind of violence. Sure, he may have had some soldiers and specialists working for him, but he didn't engage in violence himself. He was still a minor, too.

"May I go in now?" Phillipe said.

"Of course, sir," Barry said.

Phillipe turned towards the twins and Matt and said, "All of you should leave at once. This is something important that I cannot discuss with you right now."

Viola, Kiki, and Matt looked at each other and nodded their heads. They were concerned about what was going on behind that door. But they walked away, as their boss seemed to not want them there for some reason.

As soon as the twins and Matt were gone, Barry opened the door for Phillipe to walk in, and Barry followed. Inside, the room was a bit dark with dim lights on, as well as a few Morningstar soldiers, as well as Luchador soldiers, and most of all, Killbane at the center with a nearly-naked man with a bag over of his head. The man was in his underwear and his hands were tied to a rope that was hanging from a ceiling. The man's body looked battered, as it as bruised and there were even a few cuts here and there.

"So, Mr. Killbane, has he said anything yet?" Phillipe said.

"Not yet, Mr. Loren," Killbane said. "I laid everything I had in him, even used my art of the Apoco-Fist, but he still wouldn't talk. I even got some of my guys on him, as well as some of my girls. He still wouldn't talk."

"Looks like this man will be dead before the Saints try to get to us," Phillipe said. "But they already think he's dead and they want revenge. We're not giving up on this."

Phillipe approached the naked man and lit a cigarette in the process.

"So, Mr. Gat," Phillipe said. "I got to hand it to you. None of us can break you, but that does not mean we will not break every bone in your body."

It turned out that the man being tortured was none other than Johnny Gat.

"Fuck off, Frenchy," Johnny said. "I'll never sell out my boys to you."

"You got a lot of heart, Mr. Gat," Phillipe said. "I have checked out some stuff on you. You have quite a body count on you, but you were not able to talk all of my men down."

"That's because some of your people fight dirty," Johnny said. "I could have taken care of you on that fucking plane."

"You think you're some sort of unstoppable machine," Phillipe said. "But every man has a weak spot."

Phillipe, like before, took his cigarette and pressed the burning end against Johnny, but this time it was to his chest to put it out. Once again, a blood-curdling scream came out of Johnny's mouth.

"I promise you, Mr. Gat, if your leader is as good as you say he is," Phillipe said. "I will make sure that I will find his weak point. After we're done with you, your entire organization is next and then Stilwater will be ours."

"I'd like to see you try, Frenchy," Johnny said.

"For the last time, I am Belgian," Phillipe said and picked up a cattle prod and pressed it against him, sending an electrical current towards him.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Kiki had been going back to the area, as nobody else was around.

"Kiki, what are you doing?" Viola said, who was following her.

"I'm really wondering what's going on in there," Kiki said.

"Phillipe told us to leave," Viola said.

Kiki didn't say a word and went she got closer to the door, the same kind of sounds from before were present, except a little louder now that she was closer. She gasped, her eyes widened, and she started to tremble. She suspected that someone was being tortured.

"Kiki, what's wrong?" Viola said.

Kiki turned towards her sister and put her fingers to her mouth as she shook a bit. Though she had been around some violence, this was something she never thought she would witness. She didn't say a word to her sister, but Viola knew from the looks of things that something was not right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it for this one. It's time for a little explanation about this. So I ended up combining the Guardian Angel activity and the mission after. I did it because there was a cutscene before doing the activity, which would then lead to the mission, "Takeover the City." I renamed the chapter as "Take Over the City," as you may have seen, because that is how it's supposed to be written, as takeover is a noun.
> 
> So I am now wondering about the other ones involving activities. I remember in the game, there were bits involving activities and they sort of were related to the story, which brings me to stuff like Trafficking, Heli Assault, etc. I am wondering if I should do chapters based on those. Because ones like Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax and Mayhem don't really have much bearing on the plot. Regarding Escort or Trailblazing, those are debatable, but I'm not there yet. I will have to do some brainstorming and I am not going to spoil any possible changes to this rewrite. I will leave you to see it for yourself.
> 
> If I should do the bits like Trafficking and/or Heli Assault, feel free to PM me or tell me in a review. Also, feel free to give me suggestions for any ideas. I have some I want to work with, but I'm open to ideas, too.
> 
> Until next time, peace out.


	7. Confronting the Issue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided that this chapter will be an interlude. I will continue with the story soon, but I kept on debating about the inclusion of the activities disguised as missions, but I decided on something else. Plus, the story needs a little downtime. I'll give more commentary after the chapter.

The Boss and Pierce had gotten busy when they found out that the Morningstar had some connections and Pierce had found some loopholes to pass by them. Pierce had some of the other Saints members bring in some supplies of their merchandise to Steelport so that they could find some dealers to help sell them to any Planet Saints location. It turned out that despite the Syndicate running things in Steelport, many citizens of that city happened to be fans of the Saints.

With Pierce having good people skills and being the fact of the Saints, he mainly dealt with the dealing, while the Boss had to protect him from any threats that came their way. Many of the Morningstar chased after them when they went to handle things, but the Boss managed to take as many out as he could. It was bad enough that some of the Morningstar brought out their giants with them on their own mission to eliminate the Boss and Pierce, or any Saints who happened to be in the area.

But that wasn't all, as Pierce wanted to make deals on his own with some other Saints with them. He wanted the Boss to watch over him in a helicopter. It wasn't the first time that he had done this for Pierce, as he had to protect him from the Sons of Samedi in Stilwater when Pierce was just dealing drugs to some places. This time, he just wanted to deal some other merchandise, among other things.

The two men were busy with trying to hit the Morningstar and trying to gain some sort of influence in Steelport.

It was now evening. It had been a busy day for both men, but as soon as they walked in the Saints HQ through the elevator, a pretty brunette woman was seen sitting by her lonesome on a couch, looking at her phone, as well as some guns on the coffee table. It was Shaundi.

The Boss said nothing when he saw her.

"Something wrong, Boss?" Pierce said.

"I don't think so, but I got a feeling that someone won't be happy with us," Boss said.

A young man in a purple jacket and denim shorts came up to the Boss and Pierce.

"Hey, Boss," the Saint said.

"Hey, Dave," Boss said. "How long has Shaundi been here?"

"For a while," Dave said. "She was looking for you but I told her you two were out and about. She said she needed to talk to you."

"Really? She couldn't just call?" Boss said.

"Hey, I'm only telling what I know," Dave said. "I'll leave you two to talk to her."

The Boss nodded and looked to Pierce, who moved his shoulders in an "I don't know" motion. While the two didn't doubt that Shaundi wouldn't be happy about how they weren't focused on avenging Johnny at that moment, they knew that they needed to talk to her.

The Boss and Pierce walked towards the couches as they passed one of the staircases and the statue at the center. Shaundi looked up and saw the two men. She stood up with a glare on her face and approached them.

"Where the fuck have you two been?" Shaundi said in a stern tone.

"Nice to see you, too, Shaundi," Boss said.

"Oh, so that's what you're going to say?" Shaundi said. "You two were out trying to sell our shit and buying stores and property, when you two are missing what's really important here."

"Chill, girl, damn," Pierce said.

"Shut up, Pierce!" Shaundi said and looked to the Boss. "Aren't you forgetting that we should be avenging Johnny's death? You don't even give a shit."

"Calm down, Shaundi," the Boss said.

"I will not-!" Shaundi said before the Boss put a hand towards her mouth.

"Did you forget who you're talking to here?" the Boss said. "You do not tell me what to feel or how to show it. You think I don't give a fuck about Johnny? Listen, we're just trying to hit the Morningstar with everything before we get anywhere."

"Fuck you, I want to take out Loren and I want to take him out now," Shaundi said and turned around and looked away.

"It's not that simple," Boss said. "Whether Johnny's dead or not, it's not always easy to get to the big fish. Let me tell you something. This isn't the first time that I have dealt with death of a friend. Did you forget that Carlos died when we dealt with the Brotherhood? Or even my friend Lin when I first joined the Saints?"

Shaundi turned to look right at the Boss and Pierce, who then looked down when he heard the name Carlos, who was briefly a member of the Saints until his untimely demise.

The Boss continued, "It was not easy dealing with the Brotherhood. Those assholes dragged Carlos across the streets of Charlestown and Chinatown. They fucked him up pretty badly. I wish I could have saved him, but it was already too late. So I had to put him out of his misery."

Shaundi looked down and looked like she was about to cry when she heard that. She remembered what happened to Carlos. She remembered thinking he was a nice guy when he was alive. She even smoked with him and Pierce a few times.

"Lin, on the other hand, I couldn't save her if I tried," the Boss said. "I am surprised that I am still standing here even though that asshole shot at me. I was lucky to be wearing a vest that night, but Lin wasn't so lucky. I would have gotten her out of there, but she bled out in the water."

"I remember you telling both of us about Lin," Shaundi said. "It's just that I can't stop thinking about what could have happened to Johnny. Those gunshots, what if they got him?"

Pierce cut in, "Shaundi, listen, I have been helping the Boss try to gain some influence on this city. We still ain't done yet, but we're trying to get all of the people of Steelport on our side and I have been helping out trying to look for info on where to find Loren."

"Pierce and I've been working together on trying to hit the Syndicate with everything they got," the Boss said. "We're trying to let the Syndicate know what we're all about. That asshole Loren tried to lowball us in that deal. He doesn't know shit about what we're capable of."

"I am just really worried about Johnny, that's all," Shaundi said.

"We all are," the Boss said. "But we need to keep our heads straight in this or we'll end up dead."

Shaundi nodded. "I need to go clear my head a bit. Maybe I'll go in the hot tub or something."

"Just go and calm down a bit," the Boss said. "Pierce and I need to go see about some shit in town."

The Boss and Pierce watched as she walked away, possibly to go change or something.

"Man, it's crazy to think that Shaundi used to be all calm and knew how to have a good time," Pierce said.

"I know, right?" Boss said. "She'd been like this ever since she started doing her own show. Sometimes I wonder if she needs to take a hit so she can calm down."

"I hear that, Boss," Pierce said. "Hey, I got word about how there's a show in town that deals with killing mascots and shit."

"A show that involves killing mascots? Are you serious?" Boss said.

"I'm as shocked as you are, but this could be some good PR on our part," Pierce said. "Plus, I know more places that can use more of our shit, like our action figures and our demo tape. I know this Latina girl who works at a shoe store somewhere downtown. She said she wants to help us out a bit. She said she knows you."

The Boss looked at Pierce with some confusion. He wondered if this woman he mentioned was someone he crossed paths with in the past. Could this be Luz Avalos, the former girlfriend of Angelo Lopez, one of the heads of Los Carnales? She even worked at a shoe store in Stilwater and was used as a mule for the Colombian Cartel, not to mention she called the Boss about getting some cars for her to give to Manuel Orejuela, a member of the Cartel, to get back in his good graces.

"I don't know, I'll see what's up, just keep me posted," Boss said. "Though that show sounds like it could be fun."

"I will, I'll go check some shit out," Pierce said as he headed towards the elevator. "I'll holla at ya, Boss."

The Boss stood there and wondered about he just said to Shaundi. Though her feelings were justified, the Boss had a point about how going after the Syndicate just like that would not be a good idea. Though he was not a fan of planning stuff out, this type of organization seemed different than other ones. He had no knowledge about those guys with the blue cars, nor did he have any knowledge about the ones in green. To him, there had to be more to it than just the Morningstar. But with Phillipe Loren being the top boss of the Syndicate, where would that leave the Syndicate if the Saints managed to take him out? Could they crumble as a whole or will someone else take the throne?

As he stood there, he noticed Shaundi walking through one of the doors into the penthouse patio in a purple bikini and was carrying a towel. It seemed that she was going into the hot tub after all. He started to wonder if maybe it was true that Shaundi had feelings for Johnny. When he mentioned about what happened to Carlos and Lin, he felt a bit emotional. But for Shaundi, it seemed more than just wanting to avenge a friend. She probably did feel something for Johnny. In some way, the Boss felt a bit jealous, because he kind of felt something for her as well.

Suddenly, the Boss's phone rang.

"Hello?" the Boss said.

 _"Hey, Playa,"_ a voice said. _"Where are you guys?"_

"Troy? What a surprise," the Boss said. "Didn't expect to hear from you, especially after the shit that happened at that bank."

Troy Bradshaw was the Stilwater Police Chief. He worked undercover with the Saints when the Boss first joined. It was revealed at some point of where his true alignment lied, but Troy still considered the Saints to be his friends and didn't like the idea of arresting them. The Boss and Troy gained an understanding that Troy would bail out the Saints with his position of power in the police department.

 _"I was out of town,"_ Troy said. _"I heard that some organization bought that bank and apparently, when you guys were arrested, that same organization even paid the department a large sum of money."_

"Yeah, that's right, they are the Syndicate of Steelport," the Boss said. "We're in Steelport right now. We think they killed Johnny. We don't plan to stay that long. We'll be back in Stilwater soon."

Troy said, _"Wait, did you say that they killed Johnny? He was one dangerous motherfucker."_

"We don't know for sure, but we're about to find out," the Boss said.

 _"I hear ya, Playa,"_ Troy said. _"Talk to you soon."_

The Boss hung up the phone and suddenly, another call came in.

"Hello?" the Boss said.

 _"Hello,"_ a female voice said. _"I need to tell you something. If you're wondering what happened to your friend Johnny Gat, he's safe as we speak. He is alive, but he is also badly hurt."_

"Wait a minute, who is this? How did you get this number?" the Boss said.

 _"No time to explain,"_ the woman said. _"I just need you to know that you friend is okay, but just know that it's possible that he may not be alive for long."_

"Can you tell me who you are? Who _is_ this?!" the Boss said.

 _"I got to go, bye,"_ the woman said.

Just like that, the call ended. Who was on the other end? And why was she telling the Boss about Johnny's condition? So many questions on his mind in that moment. He had a long day as well. He needed to get his mind off things.

He saw Shaundi out in the hot tub by herself. He gained an idea and went into his room to change into some shorts. He went outside with a towel as well.

"Hey, mind if I join you?" the Boss said. Shaundi looked up and saw the Boss standing there in swimming shorts.

"Not at all," Shaundi said. "Come on in."

The Boss went into the hot tub and sat there as he felt the heat coming onto him.

"Look, Boss," Shaundi said. "After our talk earlier, I-"

"Save it, Shaundi," Boss said. "We'll get there soon. Trust me."

Shaundi nodded her head. The two relaxed in the hot tub together and also went for a dip in the pool after that. The pool even had a way of heating up the water in case the weather was to get cold out there.

The Boss needed to get his mind off the stress, but the main thing on his mind was who the person was that called. Was this person a member of the Syndicate? And why would she call him? At least the Boss knew that Johnny was alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I made some passing references to the activities in the game. I don't think it would add much if I put in detailed chapters of Heli Assault or Trafficking. I think the best I could do is make some references. Though in some ways now, I am a little tempted to do a bit about the Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax, but I'm still not sure.
> 
> I also felt the need to have to get into Shaundi's character and her motivation for wanting to avenge Johnny. I know a lot of people didn't like her character change from how she was in SR2 to SR3, so I wanted to make somewhat of an explanation. Plus, in the game, she seemed like she was too eager to avenge Gat. I don't have a problem with wanting to avenge your friends, but with her, it almost felt like her feelings were a bit more than friendly or something.
> 
> Plus, in my mind I like to think that the Boss has feelings for Shaundi, which was why I put that bit in. If I was writing it with the female version of the Boss, I would do either Pierce or Johnny as a possible ship for that cahracter. This is not a ship fic, but that doesn't mean I may not put anything like that in there. Just a little note, I thought the romance bits with Johnny and Shaundi in Saints Row IV were sweet. So I don't think shipping the Boss, male or female, with those characters is far-fetched.
> 
> Also, I wanted to do that bit of referencing Carlos and Lin. I know it wasn't shown in the game of Saints Row 2, but just because we didn't see it, that didn't mean that Pierce, Johnny, and Shaundi didn't really interact with him. At least in my headcanon they did.
> 
> The next one I will do will be on the Powder Room mission and then I will get to the Belgian Problem. I have something planned for that one. Stay tuned.


	8. We've Only Just Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will also include "Hit the Powder Room," for your information. Enjoy!

The Saints had only spent nearly a week in Steelport. It would seem that they have gotten themselves settled in, even though they stayed mainly to take the fight to the Syndicate, at least particularly the Morningstar. The question on everyone's minds was what could happen after they take out Phillipe Loren.

However, the big question was who was it that called the Boss and informed him of Johnny's status. It was a good thing that Johnny was alive, but who was it that called? Being that it was a woman who called, or at least sounded like one, if she was a part of the Syndicate, why would she be letting the Boss know? If anything, why would she be helping the Saints at all?

Of course, having a standing with the gang doesn't always mean that the person is an enemy. When the Boss started in the Saints, Julius Little, the Saints' original leader, who later tried to kill the Boss, informed that an old friend of Julius's, Benjamin King was in trouble and that he should go save him. Benjamin King was the former leader of the Vice Kings, but was overthrown from his position by two of his top lieutenants, Warren Williams and Tanya Winters.

Even when Donnie was a part of the Brotherhood, the Boss had coerced him into planting explosives to the trucks of Brotherhood members. Donnie didn't say no to doing the task, either.

If the person was willing to let the Boss know that Johnny was alive, could this person be trusted? Even when someone is associated with the enemy, that doesn't always mean that that person in particular is an enemy as well. Whatever the case was, the Boss was set to find out.

At the moment, however, there may be another thing that the Saints were willing to hit to put a hurt on the Morningstar some more. The Boss rolled around in his purple Neuron around in Loren Square. He thought it was time to do more damage, as he reached for his phone to call Pierce.

The call went through. _"Hey, Boss, what's up?"_ Pierce said.

"I'm surprised the Syndicate is still standing after all this shit we've thrown at them," the Boss said.

 _"I don't see a reason to stop,"_ Pierce said.

"Not saying we should," the Boss said.

 _"All right, then see you at the Broken Shillelagh,"_ Pierce said. _"I got something in mind."_

"I'll be there in a bit," the Boss said and turned around to go meet Pierce at Broken Shillelagh, an Irish pub.

The Boss and Pierce went to case more of what the Morningstar had to offer when Pierce drove around, while the Boss protected him in the Vulture he flew. The Boss even scoped out some of the operations that the Morningstar took part in for potential arms deals, as well as meetings with businesses for protection. The Saints had taken down a few of those operations. It seemed that the Morningstar was hurt.

It wasn't long until the Boss had arrived at the Pub. The Boss got out and went inside. It was everything that he imagined it would be: dart boards, pool tables, and some Irish-themed décor. Not to mention that many people were there getting their drink on.

The Boss saw Pierce standing in front of a dart board, ready to throw a dart. He immediately went to the bar and asked for a bottle of their famous beer and went to go talk with Pierce, whom had two darts on the board so far. The Boss sat on a stool at a table and picked up the bottle of beer.

"This doesn't seem like your kind of place, Pierce," the Boss said and took a swig of his beer.

"What's to hate? The beer's cheap," Pierce said, ready to toss another dart, and tossed it in the process. "And I'm the best looking motherfucker in here."

"Look, you may think it's time to kick back but I'm done toying with these bastards," the Boss said. "I want Loren and I want him now. Where is he?"

Pierce, ready to throw another dart, replied, "No idea, but 10k says he's hiding out in that big ass skyscraper."

The Boss shook his head. "Nah, Loren's a tactician. He's not going to hole up in a building that screams 'I'm a criminal mastermind.' I need something concrete."

"Then hit up Powder," Pierce said.

The Boss sighed. "I don't have time for a stripper."

"No, Powder's a designer gun store downtown," Pierce said. "I saw some of Loren's thugs talking to the owner, there's got to be something there. I think we saw that some place when we were casing the joints while you were in the chopper."

"That place?" the Boss said, remembering the building with some decorations on the building's exterior with gun logos and such. "Then let's go shopping."

Pierce looked at the Boss with confusion as they both exited the bar. "Whoa, whoa, hold up, you think it will be that easy?"

"Not like we've never done this, Pierce," the Boss said. "There were plenty of places that we took from other gangs, remember?"

"Yeah, and…," Pierce said.

"Well, we could put the hurt on the Syndicate and we could get more guns in the process," the Boss said.

The Boss paused for a few seconds. "One more thing I got to tell you. I heard that Johnny's alive?"

"What?" Pierce said in a surprised tone. "You're not shitting me, are you?"

"I was only told that by someone," the Boss said. "I really can't know for sure, but the person didn't tell me who they were. We need to go hit Powder later. Meet me over there in a bit."

"Right behind you, Boss," Pierce said and went to his purple Infuego.

The Boss went into his Neuron and the first thing he did was call Shaundi.

"Shaundi, give me good news," the Boss said.

 _"We're going to burn Powder to the ground,"_ Shaundi said.

"That's…a little extreme," the Boss said.

 _"See ya there,"_ Shaundi said.

"Shaundi, wait," the Boss said but the call ended. "Oh boy."

Though the Boss admired Shaundi's determination for this, he couldn't help but wonder how she went from a laid-back, fun-loving stoner to how she was now. While she may have grown a bit as a person, she seemed like she was really willing to take the fight to the Syndicate just like that. The Boss was no fan of planning, but even saw when planning was necessary.

Powder was not far from the Broken Shillelagh, as it was only a few blocks away. Pierce's Infuego and Shaundi's Torch were parked in front. The Boss parked his Neuron right behind their cars.

The Boss approached Shaundi and Pierce, who stood near the front doorway into the building. A Morningstar member was seen exiting the building with a bag in hand.

"A lot of people with guns in there," the Boss said. "We'll go in the back way."

The Boss walked in the other direction as Pierce started to follow him, as did Shaundi.

"You don't think the back's guarded?" Pierce said.

The Boss peeked out from being a wall and saw two male Morningstar members chatting away.

"There's like two punks," the Boss said.

"What about the inside, motherfucker?" Pierce said.

Shaundi quickly grabbed the Boss's .45 Shepherd from his right hand and quickly shot the two Morningstar guys in the head.

"Put on your tampons and let's do this," Shaundi said in an annoyed tone. The Boss and Pierce looked at each other with confusion.

The Boss and Pierce went to the Boss's Neuron and popped the trunk to take out some guns he had in there.

"Boss, there's no time!" Shaundi said.

"Hey, you took my gun!" Boss said. "We're just taking what we need."

The Boss took a Grave Digger shotgun with him, as well as a K-8 Krukov, and also a Kobra pistol. He could alternate between the shotgun and the assault rifle. Pierce and Shaundi took some TEK-Z10s. More Morningstar were seen coming out for a smoke on the sidewalk, until they saw the bodies of two of their comrades.

"It's them," a male Morningstar member yelled.

The Boss immediately let out a couple of shots. Suddenly, an alarm sounded and around the corner was the docking area, as well as more Morningstar members. Both male and female ones, with some male members wearing black jackets and black pants with a red shirt, and also ones with the same pattern but in reverse, with red jackets and red pants and a black shirt. The women just had on some long tight pants, with some wearing red jackets and pants and pink tops or even red tops. Some even had black tops.

Many of the Morningstar began to open fire, leading the three Saints to duck behind a concrete barrier.

"Great plan, Shaundi," the Boss said.

"You said two guys, not my fault," Shaundi said.

"No, I'm serious, this is my kind of plan," the Boss said.

The Boss led the way for Pierce and Shaundi. Several Morningstar soldiers stood in the docking area, even in between some trailers for semi trucks so that they could unload stuff into the warehouse.

All three Saints just opened fire at whoever fired at them. They didn't care about the people outside, as their main focus was just getting inside the warehouse.

"Let's get inside," the Boss said as he led Shaundi and Pierce to the door into the warehouse.

The Boss opened the door, the alarmed continued to blare, and more of the Morningstar were prepared to defend the warehouse. To top that off, a couple of red lasers went across above them. For some odd reason, there was some French music being played all over the speakers.

"They have snipers in here!" Shaundi yelled.

"Yeah, I see that," Boss said. "I'll take care of them. You and Pierce should handle the rest of these assholes."

A couple of snipers were in position on the railings of the walkway above them, whereas some of the standard soldiers were on the ground level ready to take the three Saints out. However, the snipers proved that they weren't that good, as the Boss quickly dropped them with his K-8 Krukov. Pierce and Shaundi went to work on any Morningstar soldiers that went their way.

"Whoever's in charge here probably knows where to find Loren," Shaundi said.

"Let's head to the office and see if they're hiding under the desk," the Boss said.

Much to their surprise, there really wasn't a lot of soldiers at ground level. It would seem that they were heavily reliant on the snipers taking them out. The three Saints ran by several wooden palettes and shelves with boxes on them until they found a dual-door. The Boss opened it. It was the cafeteria, dim with only a couple of lights on, as well as a Joe Cola machine right by the doorway to the other dining area, where three Morningstar soldiers were. A couple were male, and the other was female.

"How the fuck did you get in here?" said one of the male members.

"This is for staff only!" said the other male member.

All three Morningstar members opened fire. The Boss, Pierce, and Shaundi quickly ran and dove behind the wall. Pierce and Shaundi stood right next to the soda machine, with the Boss more out in the open. One of the soldiers was wielding a shotgun. One part of the buckshot was so close to at least grazing the Boss, but it only missed by an inch.

The shotgun-wielding thug slowly walked out, but was met a slug to the dome from the Boss's Kobra. The other two came out, but ate bullets for dinner as Pierce and Shaundi each shot 12 rounds to the other two Morningstar soldiers. Now that they were clear, it was time to explore the other areas of the warehouse.

"Break time is over!" Pierce said.

"Break time is over?" Shaundi said as she looked at Pierce.

"I didn't have this planned, okay?" Pierce said.

"Shut up, you two, let's get going," the Boss said.

They all went to the other door of the break room. It was time to see what else was there, except it wasn't what they expected.

"Shit, not one of _these_ guys again!" Pierce said.

It turned out a brute similar to what Pierce and the Boss had dealt with before, whether it was when they went to Planet Saints or when they were trafficking some of the Saints' merchandise, it was definitely one like it. Except this one was carrying was packing heat.

"Oh, this can't be good," Shaundi said.

"Mini-gun!" Pierce yelled.

"Fuck all of us," the Boss said.

The Boss hid being a shelf on the left, while Pierce and Shaundi ran behind a stack of crates on the right. All three of them knew that if they so much as tried to face this brute head on, there wouldn't be any of them left. Not just the fact that they would be dead, but the bullets would likely literally tear their bodies apart.

Boss stood behind the shelf. Pierce and Shaundi stood behind the crates. It was only a matter of time until either the brute got closer to them or shot down their covers.

"What do we do now, Boss?" Pierce said.

The Boss took a quick peek from the corner of the shelf. He had remembered some that wielded flamethrowers when he and Pierce did some trafficking, but this one, aside from having a shield on its upper body, he didn't wear a helmet. Though a simple headshot wouldn't do the brute in, there had to be a way to take it down.

"I have a plan," the Boss said.

The brute continued to fire the rounds from the mini-gun. The Boss slowly walked around on the other end of the shelf and quickly drew his Krukov and started spraying the brute's body and head with bullets. Like before, the brute just knelt like it was incapacitated, not dead. But also like before, the Boss remembered that he had a grenade on him. He went up to the brute and pulled off the pin and shoved it into the brute's mouth and kicked it down to watch the brute's head explode with blood and brains splattering over the floor and loading dock door. It wasn't just blood that was all over the wall and floor, but also some tissue and brain matter.

Shaundi turned her head in disgust and mild shock. "What the hell was that?"

"Exactly what we want to know," the Boss said.

"We've been dealing with motherfuckers like that lately," Pierce said. "Shit's crazy."

The body left the mini-gun at its side. The Boss heard sounds of clatter coming from behind the other door. It seemed that some people were running across a walkway and down a flight of stairs.

"Get ready, you two," the Boss said. "We're not done yet."

The Boss quickly went for the mini-gun. Many of the Morningstar had coming out through that doorway with guns drawn and went to a complete stop.

"What the hell?" said one of the male soldiers.

"Surprise, motherfuckers!" the Boss said and quickly squeezed the trigger to open fire on all of the Morningstar, as bullets were flying across the way, with Pierce and Shaundi watching as the Morningstar soldiers get their bodies torn apart from the rapid fire. Limbs, heads, even some had their bodies get torn in half, as blood was flying all over the place.

"I think that was all of them," the Boss said. "Let's go find the manager now."

The three Saints just ran across, even with the bloody corpses lying on the ground from being fed the mini-gun. The Boss dropped the weapon, as he was certain that there wasn't much more to deal with. The Boss led the way once again through a hallway with a stairwell going upstairs that led to the walkway.

However, he was wrong, as more Morningstar were across the way awaiting them. But he wasn't going to let that stop them. The three Saints opened fire at anybody who dared to shoot them. They went for cover when necessary, whether it was to avoid gunfire or to reload. In that moment, their main objective was to find the manager.

"How many guards they have here?" Pierce said.

"Who would have thought raiding a gun warehouse would be dangerous?" Shaundi said.

"You don't got to be a bitch about it," Pierce said.

The Boss said nothing, as he wanted to maintain his focus on the matter at hand. More of the Morningstar dropped when they met to searing kisses of hot lead into their bodies. But it seemed that every time they killed some, more kept coming out.

"Looks like they don't want us getting to that office," Pierce said as he followed the Boss.

"We're not giving them a choice," Boss said.

It was at that point, they were clear. Many of the bodies had dropped from all of the gunfire. As soon as they got closer, the office was empty.

"Guess the manager cleared out," the Boss said.

"I'll get what I can off the computer," Shaundi said.

"You do that, Pierce and I will take out whoever comes at us," the Boss said.

Shaundi went into the office and sat right at the desk to use the computer. When that happened, it seemed that more of the Morningstar kept coming out of the woodwork.

Not just regular soldiers, but also snipers. These snipers found some vantage points to get a good shot at the Boss and Pierce. With there being more support, it would seem that the Morningstar would keep the Saints at bay so that the snipers could get a good shot at them.

But the Boss and Pierce just went for cover and shot at whoever they could. Even when a few went across walkway towards the office, the Boss quickly threw a grenade and BOOM! Several bodies fell from the impact. There was no way they were coming back from that.

Pierce kept an eye out for more guys who would come their way.

"How long's it take to get into that thing?" Pierce said.

"Don't know, never really done it," Shaundi said while she looked at the computer.

"Less talk, more typing," the Boss said. "Besides, you have done this before. Remember that time we went to the Stilwater Police Department?"

"Not the time, Boss," Shaundi said.

Pierce looked up and continued to fire and ducked after he shot a few other soldiers.

"These guys are letting up," Pierce said.

"Quit distracting me," Shaundi said.

The Boss looked up and it appeared that the only one left standing was the sniper. He looked towards Pierce, who happened to be close to where Shaundi was. The Boss signaled to Pierce to take out the sniper in case he were to miss the shot. Pierce nodded.

The Boss drew his Kobra, while Pierce had his TEK. The Boss tried to get a clear shot from his pistol but only managed to fire a bullet to the sniper's right shoulder. Pierce stood up and opened fire, letting at 15 shots to the sniper, to the chest, the shoulders and finally to his head. Pierce watched as the sniper dropped over the railing onto the floor.

The Boss looked at Pierce and said, "Wow, I'm impressed."

Pierce smiled at that remark. "Thanks, Boss."

"Got it, let's go," Shaundi said.

The three went right for the door on the other end of the office. Better that they do that than risk more rival gangsters coming their way.

* * *

They were outside. They all headed to their cars. They left a lot of bodies lying around in the warehouse. With Powder now being property of the Saints, their other soldiers may come and clean up the mess soon. But right now, the only thing on their minds was where to find Phillipe Loren.

Before Shaundi got into her Torch, the Boss stopped her.

"Hey, what did you find?" the Boss said.

"I found that Loren is staying inside that big skyscraper in downtown," Shaundi said. "The one with the red lights on it."

"That reminds me," the Boss said. "Does it say anything about the other ones? There is one with blue lighting and one with green lighting."

"Not so sure about that one," Shaundi said. "Besides, Loren is the main boss of the Syndicate. That's who we're after, right?"

"I also must tell you something," Boss said. "Someone told me that Johnny's alive."

Just then, Shaundi's eyes widened. "Don't fucking lie to me!"

"I'm not lying," the Boss said. "Last night, someone called me and told me this, but I am not sure if this is true."

"And you waited until now to tell me?!" Shaundi said. "You could have told me while we were in the hot tub or in the pool!"

"Shaundi, relax," Pierce cut in. "He told me the same thing earlier. Boss doesn't know if it's true, but someone told him that he's alright."

"Except that he's also badly hurt," the Boss said. "This person, she told me that it might be only a matter of time until the Syndicate kills him for sure. From what it sounded like, those assholes tortured him."

The Boss paused for a bit and then said, "But now that we know where Loren is, maybe we'll beat it out of him to tell us where Johnny is."

"You better be right about this," Shaundi said and got into the Torch. "I'll see you back at the crib."

The Boss nodded with Pierce standing there with him. Pierce looked towards the Boss.

"So what do you think is the case?" Pierce said.

"I know Johnny is a tough guy, but from what we've experienced, these Syndicate guys don't fuck around," the Boss said. "What I wonder is what will happen after we kill Loren."

"Shit, I don't know," Pierce said. "Something tells me that the Syndicate won't just drop like that even if we kill their head boss."

"Well, we're a bit close, that's all that matters," Boss said.

"I hear ya," Pierce said. "I'll see you at the crib in a bit. We got to plan shit out."

"Right, I'll be there," Boss said.

Pierce took off in his Infuego. Boss took off in his Neuron. It was now set. They were going to take out Phillipe Loren once and for all.

* * *

From a distance, after the Saints took off from Powder, a green and black Compensator was parked a distance, along with a blue and black Kayak.

A black man sat in the driver's seat of the Kayak, while a white guy sat in the passenger's seat.

"What should we tell Sir Matt?" the driver said.

"I'll tell Sir Matt to inform Sir Phillipe that the Saints are still muscling in on their turf, but they haven't dealt with us yet, nor have they dealt with the Luchadores yet," the passenger said.

In the Compensator, there were a couple of masked people. One was a man who was driving the truck, and the other was a female member. She was also wearing a mask, but she looked to be rather muscular.

"Did Killbane want us to take the Saints out ourselves?" the woman said.

"He wants us to take them out, mostly because they've been giving the Morningstar a lot of trouble," the man said. "But they don't know that the Morningstar are already steps ahead of them."

One of the Luchadores looked up and saw what looked like a Saint approaching the Deckers in front of them. Both Luchadores got out of the truck. They were both rocking camouflage pants and tank tops, except the woman's tank top was ripped up that it became a crop top.

The Deckers got out of their cars.

"Wait, stop," the driver said. "This guy is with us."

"We know him," the passenger said. "He was just informing us about what the Saints are planning to do. I'll give Matt a call soon. You two call Killbane. Besides, some of the surviving Morningstar members will let either the twins or Barry know."

All gang members were in full agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was it. As you already know, the next one is "The Belgian Problem," but I am going to make a major change, story-wise. You will see what will happen. It's not just the fact that Johnny is alive, but something else will be made. However, I am stuck on one thing. I just need to decide on what to follow with regarding the change.
> 
> Here's another thing I have changed up. I decided that the Luchadores have female members as well. Same with the Deckers and I don't just mean the specialists. Regarding the Luchadores, I could imagine some female members of that gang, especially some other prominent members, which I am also trying to do for this. I am also trying to put in some of the guys you do the hitman missions on as part of the story, including the Deckers member undercover as a Saint. It's just like how I wrote some of the female Morningstar members as wearing more than what was shown in the game, like wearing pants and stuff, not wearing corsets or anything like that.
> 
> Back to the part about female Luchadores, as a wrestling fan myself, female wrestlers do exist, as do ones who wear masks. I might do a character based on Sexy Star, a real life female luchador from Mexico, who is also known to be a real piece work behind the scenes. There was also promotional artwork that had Killbane with two women as well. Maybe I might make characters out of those two.
> 
> I also felt like doing a little call-back to that mission in Saints Row 2 when the Boss and Shaundi went to the police station so that Shaundi could hack into the police computer. Because when that was said in the game, I was like "Really?"
> 
> Next will be "The Belgian Problem." Stay tuned.


	9. The Belgian Problem

It was now set. The Saints had put enough hurt on the Morningstar and now it was time to go after their boss, Phillipe Loren. Even though there were a couple of other gangs running things within the Syndicate, maybe taking out the head boss of the Syndicate as a whole could put a major hurt on them. It was now time to settle the score.

The sun rose over Steelport that day. The Boss took a look at various places and it seemed that the Saints had control over them. Various locations of Rusty's Needle, Friendly Fire, Rim Jobs, Planet Saints, as well as some other businesses to own so that the Saints could control it. With the Saints owning Stilwater, maybe Steelport was the next step, at least part of it as they didn't plan to stay there for much longer. Though the Boss thought that maybe he could have some people running things in that city while going back and forth between Steelport and Stilwater.

As the Boss walked around the park in Sunset Park, he figured it was time to make a call to Pierce. He made the call and it went through.

 _"What's up, Boss?"_ Pierce said.

"Pierce, we've waited long enough. Now we go for Loren," the Boss said.

 _"Won't be easy,"_ Pierce said. _"The whole tower's got to be crawling with Morningstar."_

"Since when have we done things the easy way?" the Boss said.

 _"True. So what's the plan?"_ Pierce said.

"Kill everyone we see and find Loren?" the Boss said.

 _"Makes sense,"_ Pierce said.

"Wait, I got an idea," the Boss said. "Meet me at the penthouse. I'll call Shaundi."

 _"See you there,"_ Pierce said.

As soon as the call ended, the Boss quickly dialed Shaundi's number as he knew it by heart. He didn't want to have to go through with looking through his contacts list nor his call history.

 _"Hey, Boss,"_ Shaundi said.

"Shaundi, it's time," Boss said.

 _"Just tell me where to be,"_ Shaundi said.

"We're meeting at the penthouse," the Boss said.

 _"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch,"_ Shaundi said.

"Don't worry, he won't get away this time," the Boss said.

 _"You bet your ass he won't,"_ Shaundi said.

"See you in a bit," the Boss said. As soon as the conversation ended, he went into an Infuego that he stole from the Morningstar when he had recently dealt with them. The Saints HQ was not far from the park. All it took was a few blocks to get there.

* * *

When the Boss got to the penthouse, several tables had various firearms and grenades laid out for the Saints to bring to this fight. Not just the Boss, Pierce, and Shaundi, but also various members of the gang. It was just those three and the rest who were joining in on this fight. Dave joined in on this, along with Saint Rocco, one of the Saints who had put out some contracts on people in the city, as well as Aimee, a female Saint with an affinity for thrill-seeking.

Many of the Saints were packing some serious heat for this. Pierce even took out a heavy assault rifle, which Shaundi immediately grabbed.

"That's a little big for you," Pierce said as he grabbed the rifle from Shaundi's hands.

"Give me the goddamn gun, Pierce!" But Shaundi wouldn't have it as she immediately snatched it from his hands.

"Okay, if that's what you want to use," Pierce said and looked to the Boss as he was loading his weapons. "So what's your idea, Boss?"

"Remember that bomb that we took from the armory?" the Boss said.

It didn't take long for Pierce to figure out the Boss's plan. "Oh shit, are you thinking about…?"

"Yep, we're going to bomb that fucking tower," the Boss said and cocked his K-8 Krukov. "Alright, let's give that motherfucker what's coming to him."

"I'm ready," Pierce said.

"I was born ready for this shit," Shaundi said.

The rest like Dave, Saint Rocco, and Aimee followed them. The Boss turned around and said, "You guys just follow us with that truck, okay?"

"Got it," Dave said.

"We'll be right behind you," Saint Rocco said.

Aimee added, "Let's blow that motherfucker up!"

The Boss led the way for Pierce and Shaundi. Pierce had his Infuego parked in front of the building for some reason, but that wasn't important. What was important was taking out Phillipe Loren. It was now time to finish this off.

They were now outside. While the Boss and Pierce had handled things to hurt the Morningstar a little strategically, they both knew that Shaundi just wanted to put a bullet in between Phillipe Loren's eyes. Though the Boss had been through so much danger, Shaundi was not quite there to match the amount of danger that he or Johnny Gat had been in before. Pierce, on the other hand, while he hadn't been through as much hell, he had scoped out the tower. He had an idea on where to go and what to do if things got heavy.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Shaundi?" the Boss said.

"Don't worry about me, I need this," Shaundi said. "Loren has to pay for what he did, and I want to be there when he gets what he deserves. He better tell all of us where Johnny is."

All three entered the car. The Boss drove. Pierce rode shotgun. Shaundi sat in the back seat. They were on their way.

"No worries, girl," Pierce said. "We're not stopping with Loren. We're taking out his whole fucking Syndicate."

"I think we'll need to do a little more than kill one guy to that," Shaundi said.

"We didn't steal that bomb for nothing," the Boss said. "Loren's probably got more of the Syndicate in that tower. Probably has an important meeting or some shit."

"Wait, you're going to blow up the tower?" Shaundi said. "With that same bomb we stole from the armory?"

"Hell yeah," the Boss said. "Come on, don't you know me?"

"What are the chances that the whole Syndicate will be there?" Shaundi said. "Remember, you asked about those other two towers."

"Well, maybe if we take out Loren, the Syndicate will be left without a leader," the Boss said. "I don't see them trying to stop us."

"How hard do you think finding Phillipe will be?" Pierce said.

"Come on, he's a criminal mastermind," the Boss said. "He's got to be on the top floor. It's like a rule."

"You think he's going to be _that_ cliché?" Pierce said.

"Doesn't matter, we're killing everyone in there," Shaundi said.

The Boss glanced towards Pierce. "You sure the crew has the right address for our delivery?"

"Oh, it's all taken care of," Pierce said. "Soon as we make sure the loading dock is clear, they'll drive it in."

"Better hope this works," the Boss said. "The rest of our crew will be there to help us. Loren's probably got hundreds of guys in there. It will take more than the three of us to take everyone out."

Shaundi scoffed. "Yeah right, I know what you're capable of. You're not going soft on us, are you, Boss?"

"Not even close, but Pierce and I almost got killed a few times when we scoped out some places and shit," the Boss said. "Shit, I remember almost getting blown up when taking out Hector Lopez of the Carnales."

As the Boss drove through a tunnel with graffiti on the walls, Shaundi checked the chambers of her weapons and took out the magazines to see the amount of rounds in them.

"How many times are you going to check those guns?" Pierce said.

"How long is it going to take us to get there?" Shaundi said.

"I was just asking," Pierce said.

"Save it for Loren's goons, and there will be plenty of them," Boss said.

The Boss drove across the bridge to Henry Steel Mills. He had passed by the Syndicate Tower a few times recently. He knew where to find the perfect entrance. There was no way that the Saints would go in through the front door without being shot at.

As soon as he found a toll booth, he made a hard left and rammed right through the red and white rail and broke through. The entrance to the docking area was just around the corner. They pulled in as they went up the ramp. Pierce saw several Morningstar goons standing on the platform, as well as close to some of the trucks. Several of them came out packing heat.

"Oh shit, they ain't fucking around here," Pierce said. It wasn't long until a red laser beamed towards them.

"Shit, they have snipers in here!" Shaundi yelled.

The Boss didn't say a word. Instead, he put the car in reverse and parked close to the ramp at the entrance and got out.

"Follow me," the Boss said.

The Boss led the way for Pierce and Shaundi. The Morningstar came out and drew their weapons and the red light shined across the way. The moment any of the three get into the sniper's crosshair, they're done, no questions asked.

Many dock workers turned around and saw that several Morningstar soldiers were ready to open fire. That was their call to get out of dodge or they will be eating lead in no time.

The Boss took a peek and noticed where the light was coming from. Oddly enough, the sniper was completely in his sight. He remembered that he took some flashbang grenades from the armory that one night. He knew that he couldn't just rely on frag grenades. Sometimes he needed to blind some people to make his move.

The Boss quickly threw the flashbang grenade towards the sniper and any Morningstar goons close to the trucks. At that point, many of the workers just got out of there. He didn't want any civilian casualties on this mission.

The moment the flash went off, many of the Morningstar were thrown off guard. The Boss went in and saw that sniper and put a few into him to drop him.

"Let's go!" the Boss yelled. He, Shaundi, and Pierce went in and started blasting any Morningstar soldier they see.

"You think all packages are this hard to drop off here?" Pierce said.

"Ha ha," Shaundi sarcastically said. "Can you just shoot them?"

"I'm just saying," Pierce said.

This whole dock area was basic for the most part. Trucks and trailers that were part of Big Package Shipping Co. were present for loading and unloading cargo, but at the back of the platform, there was an elevator with a red light glaring around it. It was clear that this was a Morningstar hideout.

The three were outnumbered as more Morningstar came out. The Boss, Pierce, and Shaundi hid behind some of the BPS trucks for cover, as many bullets flew their way. As soon as the shooting stopped from close by, Shaundi rose up and slide behind the front end of the truck and laid a few shots into one of the goons and a few more into another. It seemed that she had gotten better at shooting after hanging with the Boss and Johnny, except there was a bit of a problem.

The Boss hid in his cover and saw two more red lights pointing towards Shaundi and Pierce. Two more snipers on the opposite end were ready to flank them.

"Shaundi! Pierce!" the Boss yelled. They were a little far away from the snipers to even get a shot on them. Pierce and Shaundi realized that they were on the front end and slid around to hide behind the cargo area of the truck. The Boss remembered that the other sniper had dropped his McManus rifle.

"You two stay here," the Boss said. "I got these guys right where I want them."

The Boss ran as if he had a target right on his back. He ran fast enough that the red lasers had risen a tad each time so that they wouldn't get a shot on him. He dove right to the cement where that rifle was, as it was laid out next to the body of the deceased sniper. He picked it up and ducked right on the corner of the docking platform close to a pillar. He put his right eye to the scope and held the rifle in position. He looked to see if Pierce and Shaundi were okay. They were covered by the truck and the bottom of the platform. It seemed that the snipers were focused on the Boss at that point.

 _I got you now, assholes._ The Boss thought as he looked through the scope. The center of the crosshair lined up with the forehead of the sniper and quickly pulled the trigger as a bloody hole emerged on the sniper's forehead. The Boss remembered that there was another sniper to the right. This time he wanted to do it differently, as he lined up the crosshair to that sniper's chest and quickly blasted that slug right to his heart. He dropped the rifle and went to go check on Pierce and Shaundi.

At that point, a purple Hammerhead pulled up through the entrance of the dock area.

"Well, I'll be damned," the Boss said. "The cavalry is here."

"Told you I got that shit taken care of," Pierce said.

Many of their support went ahead and started opening fire on any Morningstar soldiers that went their way. Bodies kept dropping like flies, both the Morningstar and some of the Saints. However, some of them were only wounded after getting shot in the leg or in other limbs. They were still able to keep going.

Many of the Morningstar guards were down. Now it was time to go in for the kill.

"Let's get moving," the Boss said. He, Shaundi, and Pierce, along with some of their support went towards the elevator doors. It wasn't just the red light that was a giveaway of whom this building belonged to. The doors on each elevator had the symbolism of the Morningstar, or the Syndicate in general. One was red with a pink star. The other was black with a red star.

As soon as they got close to one of the doors, one of them opened and inside was another brute.

"Oh fuck all of us," Shaundi said.

The brute quickly went running after them. All of the Saints quickly ran back to the dock area.

"That big dude really doesn't want us to get inside," Pierce said.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Shaundi said. "What on earth are those things?"

"We'll talk about it later," the Boss said. "We need to take it down."

The brute quickly smacked one of the male Saints and picked up a female one and chucked her to the cement. Lucky for her, she didn't land on her head, as she slowly started to get up and shot at the brute.

The brute turned towards her, like he was ready to finish her off. However, the brute felt some bullets hit his back and his left side. The brute looked around, the Boss, Pierce, Shaundi, and a couple of other Saints, one male, one female. The other male Saint that the brute smacked got up and shot at the brute as well.

This brute was outnumbered. With his power, he would be able to take them all down. All of the Saints looked at each other. The injured female Saint slowly got back up and pointed her Grave Digger towards the big man. No one had to say anything. They all knew what they were going to do.

"One, two," the Boss said, as everyone had their guns pointed right at the brute. "THREE!"

Every Saint that was present quickly opened fire on the brute and gave it everything they had. All of the shots did wonders as the brute went down, but the Boss wanted to make sure that he was down completely. He went up with his .45 Shepherd and gave it multiple shots before the brute's head exploded.

"Wow," Shaundi said.

"Let's get moving," the Boss said and saw the injured Saint from before. "Lucy, you okay?"

"I'll be fine, Boss," Lucy said.

Pierce looked towards the other Saint who was knocked down. "Tony, how you feeling?"

"A little fucked up, but I'll be fine," Tony said.

The sound of a motor and tires screeching occurred as all of the Saints went out into the dock area and saw a truck with a big bomb on the back. It was the same bomb that the Saints had stolen from the National Guard. Aimee drove the truck, while Saint Rocco and Dave were riding along.

"Here's our delivery now," Pierce said.

The Boss led the way for the Saints to get to the truck.

"What took you guys so long?" the Boss said.

"We were outside the whole time," Aimee said. "But we knew that if this bomb got shot, we would all be blown up."

"Dave heard the shots," Saint Rocco said.

"Well, it's here now, and now we got more shit to take care of," the Boss said. "You guys cover for us if anything gets hot."

"We will," Aimee said.

Dave looked at Tony and Lucy. "Hold up, Boss. Lucy and Tony don't look to good. Maybe we should take them to a hospital or something."

"I'm fine, Dave," Lucy said.

"I don't think so," Tony cut in. "You barely got up after that thing threw you."

The Boss saw the type of fall she took. "Listen, you guys just all go on ahead. We'll take the rest from here."

"Are you sure?" Aimee said.

"We're positive, Aimee," Shaundi said. "All of you just go. Take Pierce's car."

Everyone was in full agreement. The rest of the Saints just sat this one out because no one was sure what they would be up against. Besides, the Boss had done gone through gunfights like this with little support or even no support at all. It was time to get moving. The rest of the Saints just went ahead and the hurt ones to the hospital, while the Boss, Shaundi, and Pierce stayed.

The Boss went up to the truck and saw a control on the dashboard. He pushed a button to arm the bomb. It was on a timer for about a half hour.

"The bomb's set and the clock's ticking," Pierce said.

"Why didn't we wait to do that until after we kill Loren?" Shaundi said.

"That's…a really good question," Pierce said. "We should move."

"Shit, why didn't I think of that?" the Boss said. "Let's get this shit over with."

They quickly ran to the elevator with the red door with the pink star on it. They were going up.

* * *

As the elevator ascended, all of a sudden it went to a complete stop, causing everyone to tumble inside.

"What did you do?" Shaundi said.

"It wasn't me," Pierce said. "It just stopped."

As soon as the door opened, a voice was heard on the speakers.

 _"Did you really expect to waltz right up to my office when I control the building?"_ That voice sounded familiar to them alright. It was definitely Phillipe Loren.

The door opened to a hallway. It had ladders, scaffolding, crates, and wood panels, as well as a fan. It seemed like it was close to a lab, though this hallway seemed like it was under construction.

"Shit, it's him," the Boss said. "He's close by."

"Let's go get that son of a bitch," Shaundi said.

Right at the end of the hallway was a doorway. On the other side of the doorway were walls with red lights.

"What is this place?" Shaundi said.

"We're about to find out," the Boss said.

As soon as they went through the doorway, they saw that it was a lab area. Lots of machinery were present, as well as oil drums, but there was one thing that stood out.

Shaundi noticed some pink pods in various places and took a closer look like at what may be inside.

"What the fuck is this room?" Shaundi said. "Are those people in there?"

"Looks like all those big guys we keep seeing," Pierce said. "Clones?"

"Makes sense to me," the Boss said. "We saw a lot of those big motherfuckers."

"What?" Shaundi said.

"Okay, maybe 'makes sense' was too strong," the Boss said. "All I am saying is that Pierce and I have dealt with these fuckers multiple times."

"I guess," Shaundi said.

They looked around the lab. Several tanks and tubes were connected to these pods. Their question was now answered in where those brutes came from. They walked around and as soon as they got across, they went up the stairs. Like usual, the Boss led the way.

"What should we call these guys?" Pierce said.

"Who cares? They're blowing up with the rest of this place," Shaundi said.

"How about Bricks? They hit like they're made of the stuff," Pierce said.

"Bricks? Really?" Shaundi said with such derision.

"All right, what would you call them?" Pierce said.

"John," Shaundi said.

"You ain't getting how this works, are you?" Pierce said.

"Well, it sounds better than Bricks," Shaundi said.

As the two continue to bicker, the Boss stood about 10 feet from the staircase that went up and went to a stop, as he saw a brute come up, except this time he was literally packing heat.

"Um, guys, you need to shut up right now," the Boss said.

Pierce and Shaundi quickly looked up and saw the brute literally open fire as he was wielding a flamethrower.

"Holy shit," Pierce said. "I knew this wouldn't be easy, but Jesus…"

The brute ran forth toward the Saints and went to a stop as he let out a huge flame. Shaundi stood there all frozen stiff, like she wasn't sure how to react to this. The Boss quickly jumped towards her to get her out of the line of fire. The Boss was on top of Shaundi face-to-face.

"Wow, I could have gotten burned," Shaundi said.

"Well, we still might," the Boss said.

Meanwhile, the brute ran around. Pierce stayed out of the brute's sight but fired away. He knew that these things were hard to take down, so he laid a lot of shots into him. However, as soon as the brute turned his back, Pierce saw the perfect plan. He quickly stood up and loaded another magazine into his TEK-Z10 and laid a lot of shots into the tank on the brute's back. It wasn't long until some flames emitted from the tank, causing the brute to launch in the air. The Boss and Shaundi got up and watched as the brute flew in the air until BOOM! The brute exploded into pieces as blood, organs, and tissue flew across the room from the blast caused by Pierce's bullets into the flamethrower's tank.

"Nice one, Pierce," the Boss said.

"Thanks, Boss," Pierce said. "You know I always got your back."

"Oh, I know that," Boss said. "Loren should be close by."

Pierce and Shaundi followed the Boss up the stairs. As they got closer to the hallway around the corner, more Morningstar soldiers went their way with guns drawn.

"Hold it right there!" a male Morningstar soldier said. "You're not going anywhere!"

Several of the goons drew their weapons as they were ready to pump the Saints full of lead. As soon as they were about to pull the trigger, blood sprayed from behind one of the soldiers, and another, and another. Their bodies just dropped from gunfire. But who could be firing at them?

As soon as they turned a corner, another Morningstar soldier ran out from another corner and fell face down but was met with a knife to the back of the head. All three Saints looked up and were flabbergasted at who was right in front of them.

"Holy shit," Shaundi said. "Johnny, you're alive!"

"Man, you guys didn't think you would start the party without me, right?" Johnny said. He had the same clothes that he wore the last time he was seen, except for his shades. He wasn't wearing sunglasses in that moment.

"So it was true, you were alive," the Boss said. "By the way, what happened to your shades?"

"Yeah, I am," Johnny said. "They broke while I was on the plane."

"Well, we'll talk about this later, this place is set to blow any minute now," the Boss said.

However, as soon as they were about to head to the elevator, Pierce looked and saw some more machinery and something similar to what they had dealt with before.

"Um, Boss?" Pierce said, tapping on his shoulder and pointing upward.

The Boss, Pierce, Shaundi, and Johnny all looked up and saw a naked large muscular man connected to the machinery in a crucifix position. So much confusion went through their minds. He looked just like the brutes.

"What the hell is all this?" the Boss said.

The man looked towards the Saints. "Fear not. Phillipe likes his things custom-made, and for his brutes, I am the master pattern, you see." The man said with an Eastern European accent.

"Why you still strung up if they already cloned your ass?" Pierce said.

"The copies are flawed," the naked man said. "They have my brawn by not my brain. I can help you."

Pierce leaned towards the Boss and said, "The last time a big naked dude said he could help me, it did not end well."

Shaundi walked up and said, "What could he do anyway? Those wires and shit are probably keeping him alive."

"You should have seen what I went through," Johnny said.

"Trust me, I'm still strong enough to kill Phillipe," the naked man said.

All of the Saints went forth and shot up the machinery to help free the man, as he used all of his might to break away from the restraints.

"You want some clothes, man?" Pierce said.

"No time," the man said as he walked through the three Saints.

Johnny and Shaundi followed the Boss, while Pierce followed suit soon after. However, Shaundi noticed that Johnny was moving a certain way.

"Johnny, are you okay?" Shaundi said.

"I'll be fine," Johnny said. "I may be limping a bit, but I'll keep up."

"We're definitely going to have to talk about this later," the Boss said.

The big naked man led the way and saw the elevator at the end.

"This elevator will take us to the offices," the man said.

All five of them went into elevator. The big man knew where to go. When they got to a certain floor, he told them to follow him to Phillipe's office. This area had the same red color scheme, except there were computers around, and also civilian employees cowering in fear.

"Seriously, man, if you want, I can find you, like a curtain or something, you know," Pierce said, as he suggested that they get something to cover up the man with.

"The human body is nothing to be ashamed of, unless you have…insecurities," the man said.

"I'm good," Pierce said.

"I know I'm good," Johnny said, chuckling a bit.

"Hey, man, you got a name?" the Boss said.

"My name is Oleg Kirrlov," the naked man said.

Shaundi cut in, "So, what did you do before you were a glorified pin cushion?"

Oleg led the team up the stairs. This area had the red color scheme on some of the décor, whether it's on the floor or on the walls. Each floor had a roundabout way with a drop-off in the center.

"I think it's best for our friendship I never elaborate," Oleg said. "Just know that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. As long as you oppose the Syndicate, you have nothing to fear from me."

"Works for me," the Boss said. "Welcome to the Saints."

"I like your style, big man," Johnny said. "You'll fit right in with us."

Oleg led the way. He knew where to go. It was possible that he may have worked for the Syndicate before he became an experiment.

"Loren's office is this way!" Oleg said as soon as they reached the floor above them, with a door right in front of them that was open. Same red ways, a table in the center, seemed like the right room for a mastermind like Phillipe Loren.

However, an elevator opened and an older man entered the elevator, ready to smoke a cigarette. The elevator had statues on both sides.

"Boss, this is asshole is mine," Johnny said.

"Ta ta, Saints," Phillipe Loren said, except his accent sounded a bit off.

Johnny drew his K-8 Krukov and opened fire, but before any bullet could land, the elevator door closed.

"Fuck, almost had him!" Johnny said.

"That's an express elevator to the basement," Oleg said. "There's no way to catch him."

"Fuck. That." The Boss said. "He's not getting away."

"Boss, wait!" Shaundi said. But it was too late, the Boss ran right towards a railing and jumped to grab onto a bar at the bottom of what looked like some sort of ball on the ceiling.

"Knock this thing loose, I'm going to crush that son of a bitch," the Boss said.

As soon as he said that, more Morningstar goons came right out. Johnny, Pierce, and Shaundi went forth and shot that ball.

"Don't worry about us, Boss," Johnny said. "We all got this. Just take care of that bastard."

What was puzzling about all of this was how Phillipe presented himself in that situation. He didn't really say anything to the Saints. He may have called for the reinforcements, but they all thought he could have at least put up a fight against them. But he had this vibe that he just didn't care about them. Something didn't add up here.

As the Boss hung onto the bottom of the ball, the rest of his team shot the ball and the rest of the Morningstar. The Boss looked up and saw that the ceiling was getting weaker, the several cracks were shown and more of the ceiling started to break. The moment he felt a drop coming, it was the moment he had been waiting for.

"I'm coming for ya, Frenchy!" the Boss yelled.

The steel ball rolled in mid-air and before he knew it, the Boss was on top as it landed on a floor landing along the way with the Morningstar symbol on it. Just at the right, another brute ran towards the ball to get the Boss and jumped right on it. But the Boss didn't have time for this, as he quickly drew his TEK as the ball broke through the floor to continue dropping.

"Get off my damn ball!" the Boss said laying a lot of shots into the brute until he let go and fell off. The Boss sighed in relief, even though he continued to drop to ground on the ball.

However, at some point, the ball broke through more floors and made it close enough to reach the basement. By that point, the elevator door opened, Phillipe walked out, still smoking the cigarette but looked up and saw the giant metal ball coming towards him. Phillipe didn't react or even try to get out of the way. He just let fate come to him like that.

As soon as he was crushed, the ball rolled and the Boss jumped right off and watched as the ball rolled out of the dock area. By that point, the elevator had opened with Johnny, Oleg, Pierce, and Shaundi.

"Did you get him?" Shaundi said.

"Yeah, I did," the Boss said. "But something's bothering me."

"What's that?" Shaundi said.

"You would have thought that Loren would have tried to put up a fight," Boss said. "He did on the plane. Don't know why he didn't here."

"Boss is right," Johnny said. "That fool stabbed me and put up a fight on the plane. I almost had him until some of his goons fucked me up a bit."

"Either way, I should have thought of a Belgian pancake joke," Boss said.

"Whatever, Boss, time to blow this place to hell," Shaundi said.

Oleg added, "I hate this place more than anyone, but it would be folly to destroy Phillipe's research without seeing what we can harvest from it."

"We came here to send a message, didn't we?" Shaundi said.

"Why not keep the building for yourself?" Oleg said.

"Your choice here, Boss," Pierce said.

"I would blow it up, Boss, send the Syndicate a message," Johnny said. "But it would be cool to have a place here in Steelport. Let Steelport know that the Saints are here."

The Boss was at a loss. It was true that they could use the building for themselves, but at the same time, they wanted to make it known that who the Syndicate were up against. The bomb was still on a timer. It didn't take long for him to make his decision.

"You know what, I stole the bomb, I'm going to use it," the Boss said. "Let's get out of here."

All of the Saints entered a BPS truck and exited the building. It was only a few minutes left on the clock and as soon as the Saints got far enough, KA-BOOM! The top of the Syndicate tower had blown off as rubble flew from the sky and onto the ground below, even if it may have hit some cars and/or people in the process.

Pierce sat in the cab with the Boss, while Johnny and Shaundi were in the cargo area with Oleg.

"You know, we could have kept the building," Pierce said.

"I know, but we conquered and now it's time to go home," Boss said. Though he made his decision, he felt that in some ways it wasn't the right one. Deep in his mind, he felt that it could have shown Steelport that the Saints were taking over. Either way, he wondered if it was worth it.

* * *

Nearby, after all the wreckage, Viola and Kiki sat in a red and black Temptress and looked on at what happened to the Syndicate Tower. They knew who did this.

Viola looked down as she sat in the passenger's seat.

"Viola, what's wrong?" Kiki said.

"I wonder if we made the right decision," Viola said.

"What are you talking about?" Kiki said.

"We helped Johnny Gat escape," Viola said. "I wonder what Phillipe will say about this."

"I wouldn't worry about this," Kiki said. "He just went to take off for a bit. Right now, we're both running things."

"But we helped out the enemy," Viola said. "I even saw that look on your face when he was being tortured. I mean I know that some of our guys have done that to others, but with the Luchadores involved, those guys can be brutal. I even think that Phillipe and Killbane unleashed one of the brutes on him."

"He seemed a bit okay when we let him loose, but he doesn't know it was us who helped him out," Kiki said. "Besides, I am not afraid of Eddie. We are running things for now until Phillipe comes back."

Viola nodded her head. "I hope you're right about this."

So many thoughts were on Viola's head in that moment. Did she and her sister make the right decision? What will their mentor and boss think of all this? Or worse, will this come back to haunt them in some way?

* * *

**Later on that day…**

The Saints had brought Johnny back to the Saints HQ. On the way, they made a stop at Planet Saints to buy Johnny a new pair of sunglasses. The moment he went inside, he knew that he liked this new place.

"Damn, Boss, you certainly know to pick your places," Johnny said.

"Wouldn't have done it without Pierce," Boss said as they went to sit around the coffee table on the couches. "Anyway, I want to know. What happened to you?"

"I knew you were going to talk about this sooner or later," Johnny said. "So I'm on the plane. Loren sends some of his goons after me. I was able to take them out no problem, but then more come out and attack me from behind. Frenchy used that opportunity to lay waste onto me. Don't let that guy's age fool you. He was able to kick my ass a bit. Remember Kazuo Akuji? That dude was no slouch either."

"Oh, I definitely remember," the Boss said.

"What else happened?" Pierce said.

"Last thing I heard was gunshots through the speakers," Shaundi said.

"So Frenchy left the room, more of his guys fuck me up," Johnny said. "Next thing I know I had my face covered in a bag and some times covered in tape. But for some reason, I was helped by one of the people there. They sounded like women, but I couldn't tell who they were by their voices. Sometimes they barely said anything. When they let me loose, one of them said that my clothes were nearby, but they didn't take the tape off my eyes or nothing. I swear, someone helped me, otherwise I would be dead. Frenchy even let some big old motherfuckers at me. They were fucking strong."

"Sounds like you went through a lot," the Boss said. "Anyway, maybe we should head back to Stilwater. I think we already settled our score."

"Oh, come on, Boss, this soon?" Pierce said.

"We'll come back, but I don't think Loren will be coming after us," the Boss said. "I don't know who the Syndicate will look to now."

Everyone in the room nodded their heads, including Oleg, who didn't say much during the discussion. Maybe it was time to head home now.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

Up in the sky somewhere in a private jet, Phillipe Loren was talking on his phone with someone. The plane had the same type of layout as how the airline jet that the Syndicate for their meeting with the Saints. It had the red carpeting, Morningstar symbols, as well as Greek and Roman décor on the walls of the plane.

"…Listen, Kiki, you and Viola just handle the business side of things, like I said before," Phillipe said. "Barry will be sure to handle the Saints. He will be working with Mr. Killbane, who plans to send his Luchadores after them. If they plan to escape, he will stop them. Besides, they only _think_ they were coming after me, but I had someone look like me. He was willing to sacrifice himself for this."

Phillipe paused a bit. "I will talk to Matt about taking all of their assets. I know that they took some of our property in Downtown. They won't last against us."

Suddenly, another call was waiting. "Listen, Kiki, I will talk to you and your sister soon. Bye." Phillipe switched over. "Yes, Mr. Killbane, what is it? WHAT?! They blew up the tower? Listen, I am going to be away for a bit. I will be back soon, but until then, you handle the Saints. You lead the fight against them. I will be gone for a bit, but I will let you know when I come back, so that I could take care of the leader of the Saints myself. I will talk to you soon about this."

Phillipe hung up. Though he was taking off for a bit, he knew that his war with the Saints was far from over. While he was certain that the Saints would kill the impostor he used as his decoy, he wasn't sure what else they would do. The war was not over. It was only beginning for the Syndicate against the Saints.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it for this one. What a chapter, huh? Yes, Phillipe Loren is still alive. Yes, the DeWynter twins helped out Johnny, but the Saints don't know that. It's now going to escalate.
> 
> Regarding the characters of Dave, Saint Rocco, and Aimee, I will explain. Dave was that guy who I mentioned in the interlude chapter. Saint Rocco and Aimee are characters who either give you assassination missions or challenges. Saint Rocco provided the assassination contracts, while Aimee provided the challenges. I figured that they should play somewhat of a role, as well as give names to some of the random gang members.
> 
> I know that there wasn't a shootout in the lab portion, but here's why: I could only do so much with gunfights and such. It's like how I did for one of my Final Fight stories. Being that Final Fight was a side-scrolling beat-em-up, you could only do so many fight scenes before things get dull. Certain things work in games, but not always in a story. Plus, it made sense when Shaundi and Pierce talked about the lab, especially with the pods with the brutes inside.
> 
> As for blowing up the building, usually when I play the game I prefer not to, but in this story, I wanted to have it make sense for the Syndicate to strike back. Oh, you'll see what I mean. Anyway, I wanted to put in some insight for the Boss to reflect on whether he made the right decision or not.
> 
> Next up, the Syndicate strikes back against the Saints. Stay tuned.


	10. Return to Steelport, part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This portion will be split into three separate chapters. Enjoy!

It was time. The Saints had defeated Phillipe Loren, which probably meant that it put a hurt to the Syndicate as a whole. Without someone to lead them or for them to look to, the Syndicate was as good as done. The Saints were now ready to head home to Stilwater.

Although they had taken over a part of Steelport and gained influence on that part of the city, Stilwater was their home. They may come back to Steelport in the near future, but now wasn't the time.

The Boss, Johnny, Shaundi, Pierce, and Oleg all went to the parking garage. Oleg had since gotten himself a beige suit with jacket and pants and a purple shirt to go with it when the Saints took him to Planet Saints after blowing up the Syndicate Tower, the same time that they bought Johnny some new shades.

Pierce looked around and everywhere. "Are you sure about this, Boss?"

"Yeah, I'm positive," the Boss said. "Not like we won't come back, but our fight is over. We'll see about taking over the rest of the city soon, but right now, we need to head home. Maybe we can see about some movie deals or some shit."

"Oh come on, Boss," Johnny said. "I want to see what this town got to offer. I haven't checked it out. Maybe we should stay to take this town over. We really should show the rest of Steelport what we are all about, and it ain't just about the energy drink or our store."

"Johnny's right, Boss," Shaundi said. "Maybe we can show the town what we're all about. I mean you and Pierce got some of Steelport on our side. Maybe we should show them more so that we could really run this city."

"And we will," the Boss said. "But we only stayed to take down the Syndicate. I don't see them coming back for us and if they do, they won't try to come after us in Stilwater."

"I always wondered what Stilwater was like," Oleg said. "I've never been, but I always wanted to see where the Saints came from. Perhaps I shall join you."

"Sure thing, big guy," the Boss said. "Come on, let's get going."

Pierce brought out a purple Criminal. The Boss, Pierce, Shaundi, and Johnny entered the truck, while Oleg sat on the bed. This man was about 7 feet tall but had quite a size on him in muscle mass. If Pierce would use his Infuego to drive him and the Boss to Stilwater, Oleg could fit in the back seat of the Criminal, but that wasn't the case here. Some other Saints stayed behind to keep the businesses in line. At least they had somewhere to stay.

It was now night time. The lights on the buildings in Sunset Park and Loren Square glared over the streets of Downtown Steelport. The Saints all rode in the car in silence to head out of Steelport to get back home. No one said anything, because the rest didn't really agree with the Boss's plan to head back to Stilwater. Sure, they wanted to go back, but some of them wanted to see what more Steelport had to offer.

Pierce, who was driving while the Boss rode shotgun, broke the dead silence in the truck. "Man, it's too fucking quiet in here. Let's put on some music."

Pierce put it on K-Rhyme FM when "Throw Your Hands Up" from Freeway and Jake One had finished playing, as a commercial for the latest episode of "Nyte Blayde" came on.

"Ugh, can you change this?" Shaundi said.

"Oh, come on, it's just a damn commercial," Pierce said. "Besides, I heard that there's something going on between you and Josh Birk."

Shaundi scoffed. "Yeah, right, in his fucking dreams!"

"I see that he's got it bad for you, Shaundi," Johnny said.

"Don't remind me," Shaundi said.

The Boss added, "Who would you rather have? Josh Birk or Veteran Child?"

"Oh, so now we're comparing him to my dead ex?" Shaundi said.

"Bad memories, huh?" the Boss said. "Never mind, I just wonder what you like in men. Because hey, I know I like women, but Josh Birk is one handsome dude."

"Looks aren't always everyting," Shaundi said.

"Just saying, Shaundi," the Boss said. "Sometimes you never know what's right in front of you."

"He's right, you know?" Johnny said.

Shaundi nodded her head at what they just said. Shaundi acknowledged Josh Birk's attractiveness, but for some reason she found him annoying.

After the commercial ended, a news report from Jane Valderamma had come on.

_"The skyline of Steelport has been forever changed with the destruction of one of downtown's largest skyscrapers. As if a piece of a puzzle has gone missing, sucked up in the vacuum of destruction, this towering building was destroyed by what police are saying was a large bomb. The blast originated from the loading dock of the massive structure, suggesting a delivery gone horribly wrong. Police are beginning the effort to sort through the evidence being pulled out of the rubble, though the extent of the damage does not leave much hope for finding those responsible. This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Skyline Update."_

Pierce looked at the Boss and said, "Shit, Boss, we really did make an impact on this city, didn't we?"

"We sure did," the Boss said. "We taught the Syndicate not to fuck with us and look where it got them."

However, another report came on right after the previous report from Jane Valderamma.

_"In other news, Senator Monica Hughes announced today the unveiling of the Richard Hughes Memorial Bridge. My colleague and field reporter Tammy Tolliver is out there covering the story on the bridge. Tammy?"_

_"Thanks, Jane,"_ Tammy said. _"I am here live as Senator Hughes prepares for her speech. It seems that everyone here has been waiting for this unveiling as the bridge had been under construction for quite some time. Sources have said that there had been a lot of funding put into the construction of this bridge."_

"Holy shit," Johnny said. "Did I just hear that Richard Hughes got a bridge? The same guy who you were on that boat with that got blown up?"

"That fucker was ready to have me killed and you know the rest," the Boss said. "Lucky for me, I jumped the fuck off that boat. But the impact of the blast took five years from me. I am lucky that I am still here, but those five years were taken from me because of Julius."

"Last I checked, though, Monica Hughes doesn't think too highly of you," Pierce said.

"We reached somewhat of an understanding," the Boss said. "She didn't blame me for her husband's death, and for that, she had me help this French lady spray a bunch of sewage all over Ultor's projects in Bavogian Plaza, Prawn Court, and Rebadeaux."

The purple Criminal had made onto the Richard Hughes Memorial Bridge. Senator Hughes was about to make her speech with news vans and reporters, including Tammy Tolliver were getting the scoop on this event. But nothing said that the bridge was closed, as there was some other traffic on the bridge besides the Saints, as other purple cars followed the Saints in the Criminal.

The speech was on, as Senator Monica Hughes was ready to give her speech and cut the ribbon, as an African-American man in a cyan suit stood to her left with a big pair of scissors in hand. In front of her were the many reporters and camera crew getting the story.

Senator Hughes gave her speech. "Ladies and gentlemen, when I left Stilwater for the senate, I vowed never to forget my hometown roots. My husband gave his life defending Stilwater from gang violence. It is my greatest privilege to honor him with this bridge."

The man in the cyan suit handed her the scissors.

* * *

The Saints waited patiently for the ribbon to be cut and for the road to be cleared off to make their way across. They also sat there with the air so quiet, until they heard the sounds of engines running and cars possibly getting bumped into.

"Did you guys here that?" Pierce said.

"Hear what?" Shaundi said.

"No, I heard something," the Boss said.

"It sounds like it's coming from back there," Johnny said.

Pierce took a peek at his rearview mirror and saw what looked like three green and black Criminals rushing through and into traffic, as one car looked like it was sent flying off the bridge. A Criminal even drove over two stopped cars in the traffic jam.

"What the…?" Pierce said.

"What do you see?" the Boss said.

"Some big-ass trucks knocking off traffic, literally," Pierce said.

Shaundi turned around and stuck her head out the window. "Who are these guys?"

"I don't know," the Boss said. "But looks like they're coming for us."

The Boss got out and drew his .45 Shepherd and fired a few shots towards the Criminal that seemingly led the pack with a Bulldog and another Criminal driving behind. One guy popped out from what looked like the bed of a Criminal and let out some shots with a couple of machine guns. If that wasn't enough, some of the other guys even popped out of the windows of the other Criminals with guns blazing.

"Shit! Fuck me!" the Boss yelled and quickly went back into the truck and signaled to Pierce to get going.

Pierce stomped on the gas to get the truck moving. With the other Saints behind them, they knew it was their call to get moving, stat. In that moment, Senator Hughes was about to cut the ribbon, until she saw the Saints' cars, as well as those big trucks with gunfire coming out. She knew it was her call to get out of the way, as the journalists and camera people jumped out of the way, as well. Pierce knocked down the podium that was used for this event on the bridge.

"What's going on?" Shaundi said.

"Looks like some we pissed off some guys in wrestler masks," Johnny said.

The chase was on as the cars were hauling ass on the road. Some of the cars of the Saints even dropped off of the bridge. Who were these guys and why were they targeting the Saints?

* * *

From the top of a building, Killbane, the leader of the Luchadores of the Syndicate came out and saw the carnage going down below on the bridge. He heard a sound coming from a transceiver he had.

 _"Hey, boss, sir, our guys are ready to make the move,"_ the voice said. _"Our guys below hadn't taken them down yet."_

Killbane spoke into the walkie-talkie. "I want everyone on the roofs to get ready now. Time for the high spot, boys." He picked up an Annihilator RPG launcher. "It's main event time!"

Killbane launched a rocket-propelled grenade towards the bridge. Many other rockets were launched from other rooftops up above the Richard Hughes Memorial Bridge. It appeared that Killbane had some of his other men and women of the Luchadores fire the explosive rockets and it didn't matter what they hit. A few rockets hit a part that connected the bridge on top, as well as blew up some of the rubble and tarmac on the bridge, as well as some of the cars of the Saints and his fellow Luchadores. Some cars went flying, others fell through the broken gaps that were made from the explosions. That broken piece from the top of the bridge even crushed one of the Saints' cars

Much to Killbane's surprise, the purple Criminal was the only one left of the Saints' vehicles. Killbane saw this as an opportunity to take them out once and for all. He reloaded his RPG with another rocket and quickly launched it their way.

Meanwhile, down below, Pierce looked up and saw the rocket headed their way.

"Shit, everyone hold on!" Pierce yelled.

He, along with the Boss, Shaundi, and Johnny held onto their seats. Oleg even held on tight while still sitting on the bed of the truck.

The rocket hit the front right end of the purple Criminal. Pierce tried to turn towards the left, but was too late as the impact of the explosion sent the truck the car flying into the air. With the Criminal on the opposite lane, it caused them to fly off of the left side of the bridge. Everyone held on to their respective seats as the truck landed into the water.

Up on top of the roof, Killbane got out his transceiver once again. "It's done, people. We hit our finisher. Almonzo, El Jose, you guys get everyone off the roofs. We're done here. The Saints are finished."

But Killbane wasn't done, as he got out his cell phone and made a call. "Hello, Matty. I want you, Viola and Kiki, as well as Barry to come meet me somewhere. We need to call for a meeting. Look, I don't care if those two were Phillipe's right-hands! Phillipe called me to take care of the Saints. I said we have a meeting soon. Meet me at my tower, now!"

* * *

The bridge was in shambles. Senator Hughes looked around and saw the irreparable damage that was left on the bridge. Flames were burning, pieces were broken off. Some civilians didn't certain the wreckage, either. EMT's even tended to people who were injured, but not killed.

Senator Hughes was on her phone talking to someone. "Can you believe this? On my husband's bridge! No, no, I will not calm down. I'm heading back to the hill. Book an emergency session. God damn it, this is war!"

Some of the other reporters, including Tammy Tolliver even followed her off the bridge.

"Excuse me, Senator Hughes," Tammy said. "What you think was the cause of this travesty? I heard about a recent rash of gang violence in Steelport. Can you tell me who may have caused any of this?"

Though Hughes was steamed, she was calm enough not to yell at the journalist's face. She replied, "All I can say is that who may be the cause is someone who I am familiar with. There needs to be a solution to all of this chaos that has recently occurred. No further questions."

Hughes then walked off, as some other reporters tried to ask her some questions.

* * *

Meanwhile, down below, the Saints had emerged to the surface of the water. All of them took a deep breath once they reached the surface.

"What the fuck was all of that?" Shaundi said as she floated in the water.

Pierce looked around and saw the body of a muscular man in a green tank top, camouflage pants, and a red wrestler mask with green and pink curves on the facial part.

"Whoever this crew is, they float pretty damn good," Pierce said.

"Looks like we didn't take out the whole Syndicate after all," Johnny said. "I guess someone took Loren's spot so soon."

"They're Killbane's thugs," Oleg said.

"Kill-who?" the Boss said.

"He's the Syndicate's attack dog," Oleg said. "The Luchadores, they run things on Carver Island."

"Wait, did you say Killbane? As in that wrestler?" Pierce said.

"Why would they be targeting us?" Shaundi said. "Our fight was mainly with Loren, who is dead."

"He doesn't care about rules of engagement," Oleg said.

"No rules? I can work with that," the Boss said.

"Same here," Johnny said. "I'm ready to put the hurt on that son of a bitch."

Oleg shook his head. "You're not ready to fight the Syndicate."

"Watch us," Shaundi said.

"Bullets still kill motherfuckers, right?" Johnny said.

"Just relax, you guys," the Boss said. "Alright, big man, what do you got?"

"There are others who hate the Syndicate as much as you do," Oleg said. "I will take you to them."

Not wanting to be in the water much longer, Oleg suggested that they swim to shore so that he could explain the rest to them.

Once they reached shore, Oleg stood before the four Saints and told them the following.

"You must know that just because you defeated Phillipe Loren, your fight against them is not over. You only managed to take down some of the Morningstar, but they mostly have control of most of Steelport. The Morningstar also control things in New Colvin. Like I said before, the Luchadores control Carver Island, and the Deckers, they control Stanfield."

"The Deckers?" the Boss said.

"They are a gang of hackers led by Matt Miller, a young boy from England," Oleg said. "He leads the gang, but he handles most of the technological stuff. He doesn't really get involved in the heavy stuff. He is really young, but very intelligent. Most of their dirty work is handled by some of their mercenaries."

"Hackers, huh?" Johnny said. "I bet they don't do too well in a fight."

"Do not underestimate the mercenaries they have," Oleg said.

"Okay, what else do you got for us?" Shaundi said.

Oleg stated, "The first person you should talk to is Kinzie Kensington, an expert hacker. I will tell you more later."

Out of nowhere, the Boss's phone rang. The Boss pushed the button on his earpiece. "Hello?"

 _"Well, if it isn't the leader of the Saints, who still won't give me his real name. But I have my connections. I will find out what your name is,"_ a voice with a Belgian accent said.

The Boss's jaw dropped, his eyes widened. He had put away his sunglasses. Pierce, Shaundi, and Johnny all looked at him like they knew that something was wrong.

_"I got to say that I am impressed with your determination. But like I said before, there is no mercy, only death."_

"Where are you, you asshole?" the Boss said. "I killed you. I crushed you with a fucking metal ball!"

_"You only THINK you did. That was only someone who looked like me. You thought that taking me out will take down the whole Syndicate? Think again, monsieur. You won't be able to find me, but the others in the Syndicate will. Mark my words, you will not leave Steelport alive. Ta ta now."_

The call had ended. Shaundi, Johnny, Pierce, and Oleg looked at the Boss, who gritted his teeth and growled a bit as he had both of his hands to his face and spun around in circles. There was no question that something was wrong.

"Boss, who was that?" Pierce said.

The Boss looked down and took a deep breath. "That…was Loren. He's still alive."

Everyone's eyes got bigger and their jaws dropped.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Shaundi said.

"That's impossible," Pierce said. "You crushed that motherfucker with that ball."

"You took him out," Johnny said. "I saw Phillipe Loren die. We all did!"

"Johnny, remember when I said that something was a bit off when we saw him?" the Boss said. "I think Loren pulled one on us. It's like he knew we were going after him. So he took off and got someone to look like him."

The Boss growled and turned around. "I can't fucking believe this!"

"Boss, calm down," Shaundi said. "We're all upset, too."

"Shaundi's right," Oleg said. "I am shocked to hear about this myself, but there's no time to waste. You must find those people. I will be in touch."

Oleg turned around and walked away, while the Boss was left with Shaundi, Pierce, and Johnny. This was no time for the Boss to stress. If anything, finding these contacts could bring them closer to hurting the Syndicate more, now that they're fully aware of the other gangs.

Pierce got a text message from Oleg, who gave off the names of contacts.

"Hey, Boss," Pierce said. "That big dude sent me some names."

The Boss took a deep breath. "Alright, who's first on the list?"

"We're picking up Kinzie Kensington," Pierce said. "From what Oleg told me, the Deckers are holding her on a barge on the river."

"What's her deal?" Shaundi said.

"Oleg said she was with the FBI," Pierce said.

The Boss and Johnny went to a stop.

"Hold up, what?" Johnny said.

"The fuck you say?" the Boss said and found a Miami boat right by the pier. The other Saints followed him into it. The Boss started it up and they were on their way on the river to find the barge.

"Don't stress, she was kicked out," Pierce said.

"So we're getting a shitty fed?" Shaundi said.

"Don't start hating because we're getting a new girl," Pierce said. "We got plenty of those already."

"Are you serious?" Shaundi said. "I can't believe you're telling me this."

"I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'," Pierce said.

"What does that even mean?" Shaundi said. "I'm not jealous."

"Who said jealous?" Pierce said. "That's all on you, girl."

"Oh my god, really?" Shaundi said. "I mean we could do better than someone who was a fed."

Johnny cut in, "Hey, don't forget we had an undercover cop in our gang a long time ago."

"Flirt later, you two," the Boss said. "Sometimes I wonder if you two have some pent up sexual tension." And turned towards Johnny. "Don't forget that Troy bailed us out multiple times. He even called me the other night."

"Shut up!" Shaundi said.

"Troy may be a cop, but he ain't so bad, Boss," Johnny said. "He bailed us out so many times."

"Exactly," the Boss said and said to Pierce," Anyway, why was Kinzie booted from the FBI?"

Pierce said, "Oleg didn't give me all the details, but he made it sound like Kinzie was about to out the Syndicate. So the Deckers set her up for a fall."

Shaundi scoffed. "I hope she's worth the hassle."

"Only one way to find out," Pierce said. "We got to get on that barge."

"She better not sell us out, though," Johnny said.

The boat had gone down the river. After the destruction of the Richard Hughes Memorial Bridge, they found a boat on the shore. They made back into Steelport in no time. They were told that the barge was located between the Downtown district and the New Colvin district.

"Hey, Pierce," the Boss said. "Can you get a look to find the barge?"

Pierce found a pair of binoculars somewhere. He looked around and saw a barge with some men and women wearing some cyber-punk and cyber-goth gear. Their clothes had some neon blue on it.

"Um, Boss, I think I found it, but I think…," Pierce said.

"No time to talk, I see it right in front of us," the Boss said.

All four Saints got up to their feet as the boat got closer. The Boss didn't care if the boat were to crash onto the barge.

"Everybody hold on!" the Boss yelled, as everyone grabbed a hold of bars on the deck of the boat.

He rammed the boat right into the back of the barge and flew right upward and the boat landed close to the cargo crates.

"Are you guys alright?" the Boss said, as he saw that Pierce, Shaundi, and Johnny put their heads up after the crash.

"Yeah, we good," Johnny said and looked up and saw some guys and some girls wearing some outfits with a neon blue glow on them. Their outfits were a darker shade of navy blue, but what stood was the glow and some of the pink on them.

Pierce looked up and saw them. "These are the Deckers? What the hell are these guys wearin'?"

The Boss saw them as well. "Seriously, neo-cyber punk fashion was so three years ago."

He did, however, see some of these guys around Shaundi's ex's apartment. He was now able to put the blue and black colors and the cars, as well as these guys together now.

Shaundi saw them approach them, armed and ready to fire at them.

"Shit, no time to talk about this," Shaundi said.

"Well, let's focus on finding the fed," the Boss said.

Johnny added, "You and Pierce go look for her. Me and Shaundi will handle these guys."

Johnny picked up a TEK-Z10 that was found on the ground after the boat crushed one of the Deckers' mercenaries and found another. "Hey, Shaundi?"

Shaundi turned her head towards Johnny, who tossed the other submachine gun to her. Both Saints opened fire on any of the Deckers who were on the barge.

The Boss and Pierce went up to the bridge of the boat. One Decker soldier stood by the door of the bridge and was ready to open fire.

"Um, Boss?" Pierce said.

Luckily, the Boss was strapped as he had a Kobra on him and pulled it out from the back part of his waistband of his pants and immediately fired a shot at the Decker's head.

The Boss took a look inside the bridge. Most of the Deckers were out on the main deck of the barge. A couple of them were on jet-skis circling the barge. Through his eyes in a dimly lit room he saw a young redhead, bespectacled woman with a blue sweatshirt that said FBI in yellow letters and blue jeans, lying on the floor with her hands tied behind her back.

"Hello," the redhead said.

"Um, hi," the Boss said with a confused tone. It seemed that this woman was just lying there calmly.

The other three Saints were outside still trying to fight off any Deckers. However, Johnny managed to take down a lot of them. The man was just a natural born killer.

The Boss went outside and called the attention of his cohorts. Everyone followed him, as they figured that he found the former fed. It wasn't long until Johnny, Pierce, and Shaundi followed him into the bridge.

"Kinzie Kensington?" the Boss said to the woman.

"Yep, that's me," the woman said.

"Wow, this is her?" Shaundi said and turned her attention towards the redhead. "You don't seem that excited about being rescued."

"I'm waiting to see if you were sent to kill me," Kinzie said. "I'm surprised the Deckers didn't already and then I heard the gunshots outside."

"Girl's pragmatic," Pierce said with a smile. "I like her."

"So this is the girl who knows about the Syndicate?" Johnny said. "This is the ex-fed?"

"Guys, quiet," the Boss said and approached Kinzie to untie the ropes. The moment she was untied, the Boss and Pierce approached her to help her get to her feet.

"So what do you want with me?" Kinzie said, as she faced all four Saints. "You don't look like feds."

"We heard that you know some people who hate the Syndicate as much as we do," Pierce said.

"Is that so?" Kinzie said. "I know a lot of things, actually. I know about where you guys came from and what you have accomplished even before selling energy drinks and stuff."

"That's not important right now," the Boss said. "So what's your story?"

"I know everything," Kinzie said.

"Okay, like what?" the Boss said.

Kinzie stated, "You were recruited by Julius Little after being caught in the crossfire between the Vice Kings and Los Carnales. The fight started because a Vice King named LeVar didn't 'bitches disrespecting him.' You didn't talk much then, but knew a lot about shoes."

"You're good," the Boss said. "I guess maybe I might have had something in common with Luz Avalos after all."

Shaundi and Pierce scoffed at that comment, while Johnny chuckled.

"I know," Kinzie said. "Anyway, the FBI cyber crime division assigned me to the Deckers case. Once I got too close, Matt Miller came for me."

"Matt Miller, is he a hitman?" the Boss said.

"Worse, he's the world's most dangerous hacker," Kinzie said. "He discredited me, got me fired, then had me abducted."

"Wait, this Matt Miller guy is a computer nerd?" Shaundi said.

"Don't underestimate him," Kinzie said.

"Stick with the Saints and we'll make sure what's coming to him," the Boss said. "So can you tell us some stuff, like who we should talk to?"

"Well, the DeWynters are keeping Zimos at Safeword," Kinzie said.

"What?" the Boss said.

"The DeWynters are the twin sisters that run prostitution in Steelport," Kinzie said. "Zimos was their competition, so the sisters locked him up."

It was clear that the Boss, Shaundi, and Johnny realized who Kinzie meant when she mentioned the twins. They had already met them.

"And Safeword is just a BDSM club that caters to various acts of perversion," Kinzie said. "The name comes from wh-"

"Ah, we got it," Shaundi said.

"Mine's 'Tea Cup,'" Kinzie said.

"A little more than we need to know," Shaundi said.

"Well, Pierce and I will go check out that place," the Boss said. "Johnny, you go with Shaundi to help protect Kinzie. I'll call you when something comes up."

"No problem, Boss," Johnny said.

Shaundi found a jet-ski next to a dock and Johnny found another. He told the ladies that he'll be right behind them.

"We'll get her out of here," Shaundi said. "You two have fun at the gimp show."

The Boss and Pierce were off, while Johnny followed the ladies to the wharf in Sunset Park. It wasn't far from there. A Saint had pulled up in an Infuego, as Shaundi had called that person to come and get them.

The Boss and Pierce had some business to attend to. It was time to head to Safeword.

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


	11. Return to Steelport, part 2

The Boss and Pierce were on the dock in Espina. The Boss had looked on his phone for this Safeword place. It wasn't that far off from there.

"So what do you think of this new girl?" Pierce said.

"I don't know, she seems a bit nerdy," the Boss said.

"Nothing wrong with nerdy girls," Pierce said. "Though she looks like she probably doesn't get out much."

"Eh, what do I know? She doesn't seem bad, but she is probably what we need to find others to fight the Syndicate," the Boss said as he walked towards a flight of stairs to get up to a parking lot. It seemed that a Saint soldier had brought Pierce's Infuego because they needed a car to get there. Their only other option was to either steal a parked car or take a cab, but going to a place like Safeword? No one would want to ride a cab after that.

Both men entered the car and suddenly, the Boss's phone rang. He immediately answered. "Hello?"

 _"Hey, forgot to say thanks for freeing me,"_ Kinzie said.

"You and this Zimos guy makes two," the Boss said. "Usually I get three people to help me."

 _"I think I know someone who'd help, but I got to find him first,"_ Kinzie said. _"I'll call you when I have a location."_

"Hope to hear from you," the Boss said and then the call ended and looked towards Pierce. "You ever been to one of these clubs?"

"Do I look like I'd go to one of those clubs?" Pierce said.

"I'm just sayin', powerful guy, stressful job," the Boss said. "Probably need to ease the stress by someone dominating you. I see the way you and Shaundi are often going at it. You're not seeing anybody either."

"Stop talking," Pierce said.

"That's what I thought," the Boss said. "So I was right?"

"Shut up," Pierce said.

"Nothing left to be said," the Boss said.

"Whatever, man," Pierce said.

It was night time in Rosen Oaks. The street lights were on. The Boss drove down the roads that the GPS was guiding him through. Up ahead, the lights on the street at an intersection were pink, as opposed to the usual white or yellow lights on the street. This pink street lights went down this particular street. When the Boss and Pierced turned right, they notice a purple light at the front of a fence, as well as a red light glaring over a big building. They parked the car outside of the sex club on the side of the street.

"Could that be the place?" Pierce said.

The Boss looked at his phone. "That's what the GPS says."

They go in through the entrance, with three Status Quo limousines parked in front. The yard of this place even had statues of naked women as part of the light posts. This definitely was the place.

"Shit, I wonder what powerful people want to be dominated in a place like this," Boss said.

"I don't even want to know," Pierce said.

The Boss parked the car and the two men got out and headed straight for the front doors.

"How the hell are we supposed to find this guy?" the Boss said.

"Shit, shake people down," Pierce said. "Someone's got to know where they're keeping our boy."

The door had opened and both men already had a weird vibe. Two men dressed in gimp outfits were just hanging around like they would if they were having a break. Just seeing this sight was weirder to them as opposed to seeing them get dominated. On top of that, the front entrance area even had artsy pictures of the two twins, as well as a picture of a woman's legs in tight leather pants over the front desk.

"This place is already giving me the creeps," the Boss said.

"It's the whole culture, man," Pierce said. "Even I feel the same way."

The two men walked around the front desk and found a doorway into a hallway. The hallway had a red light. There was another lobby past it which had normal lighting, which led into the main area. Red and pink lights, many dominatrices, prostitutes who may also be strippers at Technically Legal were hanging around. There were even women dancing in cages that were hanging from the ceiling. Not to mention that there was a bar on one end of the area near the staircases to head upstairs.

"Holy shit," the Boss said. "So those twins run this place? I wonder if maybe we should get into this business."

"Fuck no I ain't getting involved in this," Pierce said.

"Said the guy who went to Tee'N'Ay and Technically Legal many times," the Boss said.

"I was only getting a lap dance from those girls, but this is some straight up crazy shit," Pierce said.

A couple of women went up to the Boss and Pierce.

"Hey, big boys, have you been bad?" said one woman, who wore a leather corset and a mask and carried a flogger and whipped it to the ground.

"Oh we've been bad, but we're not here for that," the Boss said. "We want to know where Zimos is."

The other dominatrix, who had a similar getup but wasn't wearing a mask, said, "Oh, that's misbehavior on your part. We need to teach you a lesson." The dominatrix whipped both men with their floggers.

"Ow!" Pierce said and walked way, as did the Boss. "Okay, that was a bad idea. Do you have any other clues?"

The Boss looked around and saw doors that were surrounded by red walls. "I think I have a better plan. I think I'll ask some people in those rooms."

"Shit, it better work," Pierce said. "Just leave me out. I ain't going into those rooms if anybody be fucking or getting whipped."

"Then don't," the Boss said. "Just stand guard in case some others were to come out."

"Will do," Pierce said.

The Boss saw a door to the right and went right for it. Surprisingly, the door wasn't locked. The door opened, through his sight, he saw a man in a suit, much to his surprise, bowing before a woman in a sexy cop outfit, as she stood before him in a position of power. Red walls were present, as well as a bed and oddly enough, a piano.

 _I'm surprised he still has his clothes on. Maybe he knows where I can find Zimos._ The Boss thought.

The woman made eye contact with the Boss, who signaled to her to back up a tad. The Boss quickly pulled the man to his feet and grabbed him by the shoulder and put his fist up like he was ready to punch him.

"Tell me where Zimos is or I'm going to beat you stupid!" the Boss said.

The man, however, laughed in an exciting fashion. "Oh yes!" He got to his knees as he knelt before the Boss.

"What the hell? You got to be kidding me," the Boss said.

The man, while he was kneeling, grabbed the Boss by his legs. "The manager's upstairs, he'd know! Just hit me! I've been bad!"

The Boss quickly backed away from him in disgust, but he gladly obliged to this man's request as he laid a hard right hand to his face and knocked him to the ground. The man smiled, even though the Boss gave him quite a shiner on his face. The woman even looked at him with some intrigue.

"Give him his punishment," the Boss said to the lady.

"With pleasure," the woman said and as soon as the Boss turned around, the woman slapped him on his backside. The Boss turned around and the woman smiled seductively, gave him the eyebrow gesture, and uttered "Uh-Huh!" in a suggestive way. The Boss smiled and gave her a nervous chuckle and was on his way out.

The Boss left the room, Pierce was there waiting for him.

"What did you find?" Pierce said.

"The manager's upstairs and a freak who likes to be hit," Boss said.

"That's what you'll find at places like this," Pierce said.

Both men wasted little time as they quickly went up a flight of stairs to the farther end of the establishment.

"Like before, you wait out here," the Boss said.

"Sure thing," Pierce said.

The Boss found a couple of doors across from each other. Behind one door, a sound of a whip cracking and a person yelling was heard. But the Boss tried one door and found the room empty. Once he got out, the sound occurred yet again, but this time it was behind the other door.

Like before, the door was unlocked, as the Boss barged in and found a woman in sexy bra and thong but had devil horns on her head and a devil tail on the backend of her thong. The man in front of her had a gimp mask and leather straps on his upper body, as well as leather underwear. This woman was hitting the man on his butt with an S&M paddle.

The woman looked up and jumped at the sight of the Boss, who grabbed the gimp to get him to his feet and pulled out his pistol and pointed the gun to his head.

"You the manager?" the Boss said.

"I don't know anything, I'm just here for a bachelor party!" the gimp said.

The Boss sighed in annoyance and just shoved the gimp away from him and turned to the woman and said, "Proceed."

The Boss got out of the room to the sound of Pierce saying, "Hey, Boss, come here." The Boss approached him and saw that Pierce was standing in front of a hallway right next to some tables and chairs next to the wall.

"I think I know where to find the manager," Pierce said.

"Pierce, you're a genius," the Boss said.

"Thanks," Pierce said.

The Boss and Pierce saw a door to the left of the hall. It had a "Keep Out" sign on it.

"Got to be it," the Boss said and opened the door, as he saw three women in red and black corsets standing on opposite ends of the room. One looked Japanese with her hair in a ponytail. The other had an African look to her and her hair was done in cornrows. The other woman was a Caucasian brunette with a ponytail, but had a European vibe about her. All three women even had some kind of coats on. This room had a desk set in front of curtained windows, as well as a setup for video feeds on the other end with a desktop computer set on another desk.

On the opposite end of the room from where the desk was happened to be a flat-screen TV, which was adjacent to a door, where right next to it looked to be a stereo system with DVDs and sex toys lying on the shelves.

The three women jumped at the sight of these two men, but given the way they were dressed, they figured that the two Saints probably assumed to be a part of the S&M club.

"Don't mind us, ladies," Pierce said.

"We just need answers," the Boss said and approached a man with a leather vest, jeans, and sunglasses, as well as tattoos on his arms, and grabbed him and pointed his pistol right to his head. He seemed like the manager.

"Where's Zimos?" the Boss said.

"If I say anything, the DeWynter sisters will cut me off!" the manager said.

The Boss lowered his pistol down more. "If you don't say anything, something else is getting cut off."

"He's in the pony barn, all right?!" the manager said. "It's just behind that door!"

"Thanks, now was that so hard?" the Boss said and shoved him from his arms. "Come on, Pierce, let's go find Zimos."

"Got it," Pierce said.

The two went right through the door to find a stairwell. They were close to finding their new contact.

* * *

Meanwhile, the manager sat in his office and trembled at what he just went through. The three ladies who were in the room with him approached him.

"Ron, did you actually tell those two men that they were going to pony barn?" the black lady said with a Caribbean accent.

"Zoey, those two don't know who you are, they thought you were with the girls in the club," Ron, the manager, said. "You saw that they put a gun to my head."

"Don't worry, Clara, Lillian, and I will let the others know," Zoey said. It turned out that these ladies were members of the Morningstar.

Clara, the Japanese woman, got out a walkie-talkie out of her coat. "Attention everyone, the Saints have invaded Safeword. They're headed to the pony barn. Stop them!"

Lillian, the European woman, got out a TEK-Z10. It was clear she was ready to do some damage.

* * *

As soon as the Boss and Pierce went down the stairs, to find another stairwell, except there was another door with that similar colored lighting from before.

"That's got to be where the pony barn is," the Boss said.

Out of nowhere, some female Morningstar soldiers came out. They seemed to be wearing more than what the other women inside were wearing. Black suits with red or pink tops, or even red and/or pink suits with black tops. The crazy stuff inside the sex club wasn't the only thing wasn't the only that was in heat.

"Fuck, we got company!" Pierce yelled.

A blonde female Morningstar soldier quickly opened fire at both of the Saints with her Grave Digger shotgun. Both Pierce and the Boss dodged the buckshot and landed on the staircase landing next to another flight of stairs.

The Boss got out his Kobra pistol and delivered three shots to the shotgun-wielding blonde right to her chest.

Another female soldier had blood from her comrade splatter on her and looked up and fired shots from her TEK-Z10, leaving holes on the wall. With there being men coming in while the two Saints hid, the Boss noticed them slowly approaching the staircase. He got out a frag grenade, pulled the pin, and chucked the explosive towards the Morningstar soldiers close to the doorway at the bottom. It wasn't long until BOOM! The Morningstar members went flying.

The Boss got up and waited to say if any more were coming their way.

"I think that's all of them," the Boss said.

"If I never see this place again, it'll be too soon," Pierce said.

"Remind me to get some hand sanitizer after this," the Boss said.

"Don't worry, we'll get a box of that shit," Pierce said.

They stepped through the doorway to go through a hallway with a bunch arches on the sides. The arches were empty, but they were likely where they kept the "ponies."

"This place is really freaking me out now," Pierce said.

"You already said that," the Boss said.

"Yeah, but this is some freaky shit," Pierce said as they looked around.

Pierce noticed some men with ball-gags and masks and were strapped to their stalls, which were what those arch things likely were. Pierce saw a guy with a black gimp mask and straps across his chest and pushed the man's head up to get a glimpse of who he may be.

The Boss looked around as well and saw an older black man with gray hair and a saddle on his back with a rhinestone Z.

Hmmm, that's got to be Zimos. The Boss thought.

"How we gonna find Zimos?" Pierce said. "Look for the cat in here who isn't excited to be eating a ball gag?"

"Or just look for the guy a rhinestone Z on his back," the Boss said.

"Get the fuck out of here, man," Pierce said with such derision as he pushed the head of another gimp out of his way, only to find what the Boss had said. "Well, shit, that's convenient."

Oddly enough, Zimos wasn't wearing a mask, but just had a ball gag in his mouth. He made some odd sounds to the two Saints members.

"What was that?" the Boss said.

Zimos made some more sounds and turned his nodded to the direction of what looked like a gold microphone near the wall.

"I think he wants us to get that," Pierce said. "Must be his."

Pierce went ahead and picked it up.

"I think we should undo all this stuff," the Boss said.

"They went this way!" a voice said from far away.

"Ah, shit, Morningstar," the Boss said. "We got to get out of here."

"Wait, what about Zimos?" Pierce said.

"Not the time yet," the Boss said and saw that Zimos was strapped to a carriage. "Really not the time."

The Boss and Pierce sat on the carriage, much to Zimos's chagrin. "We don't got time, Zimos! March!"

Zimos yelled through his gag, but went ahead and started running to pull the carriage to get themselves out of the S&M club. Once they were outside, a couple of other carriages with Morningstar soldiers riding, as well as gimps pulling.

"You got to be fucking kidding me," the Boss said.

Even odder, the carriage that was right behind Pierce, Zimos, and the Boss, the soldiers riding drew some machine guns.

"Now this is getting even crazier," Pierce said.

"Faster, Zimos!" the Boss yelled.

Zimos tried to run faster, but with the weight of the carriage at his shoulders, there wasn't much he could do.

"Can't this guy go any faster?" the Boss said.

"Uh, I don't think it works that way," Pierce said.

Even in such an awkward position, Pierce and the Boss got out their machine guns and opened fire on the Morningstar that was firing at them. Shockingly enough, the bullets didn't hit the gimp that was pulling the carriage, but the bullets barely missed to the two Saints.

"And I thought I've seen some crazy shit in my day," the Boss said.

Pierce didn't respond, as he just fired away on the two Morningstar members. One of the bullets hit the gimp that was pulling them, as he dropped, causing the carriage to roll forward and over his body and the two Morningstar soldiers to jump off of it.

However, another was behind that crashed carriage, as those two ladies were in the manager's office from before were riding that other carriage.

"Holy shit, are those-?" Pierce said.

"Shit, how did I not think those three girls were Morningstar?" the Boss said.

"Probably because of how they were dressed," Pierce said.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" the Boss said.

"Hey, I'm just sayin'," Pierce said.

From ahead, the carriage pulling Zoey, Lillian, and Clara started to get closer.

"Closer, now!" Clara yelled and cracked a whip on the back of the gimp pulling their carriage.

Zoey got out her TEK-Z10 and loaded a magazine in it, as did Clara and Lillian.

The Boss and Pierce saw behind them that they were ready to open fire.

"Fuck this, I am not going to put that guy's life in risk, nor are we going to put Zimos's life at risk," the Boss said. "The other guy was different because we didn't know what to do?"

"What's your plan?" Pierce said.

The Boss reached for his pocket. He remembered that he had some flashbang grenades on him after taking some from those weekend soldiers, as well as buying some from Friendly Fire.

"Watch this, but don't look too hard," the Boss said and threw the grenade at the carriage behind them. Suddenly, a big flash occurred, the gimp pulling the carriage tripped and fell and also broke away from the carriage. Zoey, Lillian, and Clara had fallen off the carriage as well.

"I think that's it," the Boss said. It seemed that everyone had stopped. No more Morningstar coming at them. Zimos had come to a stop and disconnected himself from the carriage and taken off the ball-gag. Pierce tossed that golden microphone to him and Zimos caught it.

"Sorry about making you, you know, pull us around," the Boss said.

 _"This is a rescue, right? This ain't some elaborate setup for a gang bang?"_ Zimos said. The way he talked, it seemed that he needed that microphone as he sounded like his voice was using auto-tune. It was as if the microphone was a voice-box, like a synthesizer or one of those voice-boxes used for people with tracheotomy.

"Why you got to put that image in my head, bro?" Pierce said.

 _"I'll go with rescue then,"_ Zimos said. _"I'd shake your hand, but these floors are a little sticky if you know what I'm sayin'."_

Suddenly, the Boss's phone rang and saw that Kinzie was trying to call him. "I'm good. Find a moist towelette or something." And answered the phone. "Hey, what's up?"

"I found the guy I was talking about," Kinzie said.

"Kinzie, I'll call you right back, I found Zimos," the Boss said. "I will hit you up ASAP."

"Okay, but it's important," Kinzie said. The call had ended.

"What was that about?" Pierce said.

"Kinzie found the other guy," the Boss said. "I got to call her back."

"Hey, Boss, I'm heading back to the crib," Pierce said. "I got to check some shit out."

"All good, Pierce, I might call Johnny to see if he'll join me on this one," the Boss said.

 _"How about if I roll with you, Playa?"_ Zimos said. _"After all, you two saved me from the Morningstar. I got to repay you somehow."_

"Don't you think we should get you some clothes first?" the Boss said.

"Hey, Boss, I think I found something in that carriage, it was in some compartment or something," Pierce said and got out a violet hat with a zebra print line and a feather, as well as a pair of sunglasses.

 _"Shit, my brother, that's my hat and my glasses,"_ Zimos said. _"The DeWynter sisters, as well as that fool Andre who pimps bitches around here, they tried to hide my shit from me!"_

"Andre?" the Boss said.

"Yes, he is another pimp from the Morningstar," Zimos said. "He mainly does his shit in Steelport, but he's like the one handles some of the prostitution, but Viola and Kiki, they're above him in terms of the business, Playas!"

"Shit, looks like the Morningstar is well-connected," Pierce said. "Anyway, I'm about to head about to the crib, Boss. I'll catch you later."

"See you in a bit, Pierce," Boss said and looked to Zimos. "Come on, Zimos, let's go meet the other guy. I got to make a call first."

* * *

Meanwhile, the three Morningstar ladies got up from the crash of the carriage. Zoey got out a cell phone that was in her bustier, oddly enough and called someone.

"Hello, Viola, Kiki?" Zoey said. "The Saints came to Safeword and took one of the ponies with them. Just thought you should know. They didn't know that we were part of the security. But they took down our other people. Okay, you people should talk about it and then we'll talk about what we should do if they come around here again."

**TO BE CONTINUED.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a few changes to some stuff. One, when you find the manager, I decided to have the three female Morningstar members in there and they were dressed like how they were in the game. I figured I would make them heads of security detail at Safeword. It would make sense that the Boss and Pierce wouldn't suspect that they were members. I found out that they were named from the Saints Row wiki. Also, Andre is one of the guys you assassinate. Like I said before, I'm trying to expand with characters.
> 
> Also, while I found the part with the pony chase funny in the game, one of the most ridiculous things about it wasn't just the chase, but the fact that the gimps were bulletproof. I had it be that one of the gimps was shot and caused the carriage to crash. Whether he died or not, that's entirely on you. Not sure how he could survive the carriage going over him if the shot wasn't fatal, but it's possible depending if he wasn't crushed.
> 
> One more thing, when you find Zimos, I had it be that he wasn't wearing his hat and sunglasses because it's not very plausible for him to be wearing them. But I just decided to add the bit with his hat and sunglasses just because. Also, when I write his dialogue, I will mostly use italics, but if one word is enunciated more, I will probably bold it.


	12. Return to Steelport, part 3

The Boss called up one of his soldiers to deliver a car for him. A purple Criminal pulled up as he and Zimos were standing outside of Safeword.

"Is this good, Boss?" said a female Saint with pigtails and glasses.

"Yeah, it's good enough, Aimee," the Boss said. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Boss," Aimee said.

"Hey, how are Tony and Lucy doing?" Boss said.

"They're okay, it's a good thing you told them to go to a hospital," Aimee said. "They were hit pretty hard."

"Yeah, they were," the Boss said. "This is Zimos, by the way."

 _"Pleasure to meet you, little lady,"_ Zimos said in his synthesized, yet smooth tone in his voice.

"Nice to meet you, too," Aimee said. "Why do you talk that way?"

 _"No time to explain, little lady,"_ Zimos said. _"Me and the Boss got some shit to handle right now, know what I'm sayin'?"_

"Yeah, we have to go meet someone right now," the Boss said.

"Can I come along?" Aimee said.

"I think shit is about to get real heavy soon," the Boss said. "Not right now. It's urgent for both of us."

The look on Aimee's face had a calm, yet disappointed expression. She had a thing for seeking thrills, but it seemed that the Boss was trying to leave her out of "all the fun." However, she was not quite up there yet to being a high-ranking member and knew what kind of heavy stuff that the Boss had been in.

"Okay, let me know next time you want some help," Aimee said. "Rocco's been wanting in as well."

"We'll talk about this later," the Boss said as he and Zimos entered the Criminal truck.

"I'll see you at the crib," Aimee said.

The Boss started up the vehicle. He remembered that he also had a call to make. It was to a person who had information on who may know something about the Syndicate, at least one of the organizations within the Syndicate.

The call went through. _"Hello?"_ a female voice said.

"Kinzie, who is this guy that we have to meet?" the Boss said.

 _"His name is Angel De La Muerte, he was Killbane's tag team partner until he went crazy,"_ Kinzie said.

"Until Angel went crazy or Killbane went crazy?" the Boss said.

 _"I should probably look into that,"_ Kinzie said. _"The point is Angel hates Killbane more than you do. He should be willing to help."_

The Boss sighed. "Where do I find him?"

 _"That's the tricky part,"_ Kinzie said. _"I found a feed somewhere that has some Luchadores headed towards his gym right now. You should probably hurry before he gets killed."_

"Why didn't you start with that?" the Boss said.

 _"You ask too many questions,"_ Kinzie said. _"I'd hurry up, you're on the clock."_

The call ended, but the Boss felt he needed to make another call. The call went through after just one ring.

 _"Hey, Boss, what's up?"_ a male voice said.

"Johnny, I need you to meet me somewhere," the Boss said. "No time to explain, but Kinzie told me about the Luchadores going to try to smoke our other guy."

 _"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Boss, slow down,"_ Johnny said. _"Where do you want us to go?"_

The Boss looked at his GPS. It turned out the location was Bridgeport on Carver Island. The address was given as well.

"Meet us at Bridgeport," the Boss said. "She said that it's some gym. She gave me the address. I will forward it to you."

 _"Sure thing, Boss. Hold up what…?"_ Johnny said as he sounded like someone was talking to him. _"Hey, the big dude wants to come along. Is that okay?"_

"We need all the help we can get," the Boss said. "Go over there right now."

 _"On it,"_ Johnny said. Call ended.

For a minute of dead silence as the Boss drove on the bridge connecting that went across all of Steelport, Zimos said, _"Thanks, Playa, I appreciate you bustin' me out."_

"Don't mention it, like ever," the Boss said. "Come on, Z, we've got a rescue to mount."

 _"Don't say 'mount,'"_ Zimos said.

"I take it 'saddle up' is out, too?" the Boss said.

 _"If you didn't just bust me out, I'd be walkin' the other way,"_ Zimos said.

"Okay, how about 'we got some business to take care of'?" the Boss said. "Does that work?"

 _"Shit, Playa, that is fine with me,"_ Zimos said. _"Just don't make any more pony references, ya dig?"_

"Fine, okay, that works," the Boss said in a somewhat annoyed, yet relieved tone.

The time was now. Someone's life was at stake and could be outnumbered. Though a couple of reliable comrades were going to help, seeing what the Syndicate had to offer, how long could they last against them?

* * *

The Boss drove as fast as he could to get to Bridgeport. It was on the southwestern part of Steelport. By the time he got there, Compensators, Bulldogs, and Criminals, all of which were green and black, were parked outside what looked like an abandoned casino.

"This is a gym?" the Boss said.

Zimos looked out the window on his side and saw a big brute coming their way. "Uh, what the hell isthat thing?"

"Something very hard to take down," the Boss said.

Both men got out of their Criminal as soon as the brute got closer. As soon as they jumped out of their car, the brute sent the truck flying backwards and flipped over.

The Boss looked over and sighed in relief. "That was close."

He looked over and saw Johnny and Oleg trying to fight off any Luchadores. Some masked men dropped from Johnny's gunfire. The Boss looked around and saw a case inside the back seat of the purple Criminal, as it fell right on the ceiling after the truck flipped over.

"Hope you can handle yourself with a gun, Z," the Boss said.

 _"Shit, I had smoked some fools in my day, been too long, but it ain't like I've never done it,"_ Zimos said.

The Boss went forth and crawled to the broken window and pulled out the case. He chucked it to the pavement on the street. The case broke open, but the Boss looked up to impending doom as the brute got close and was ready to kick him. Not just anywhere, the brute's leg was lined up with the Boss's head, as the Boss knelt on the ground after pulling out the gun case.

"OOF!" the brute yelled, as something or someone attacked him from behind and shoved him towards a chain-link fence nearby.

"Thanks, Oleg," the Boss said.

"My pleasure, Boss," Oleg said and helped him get to his feet.

The Boss took a deep breath and looked towards Zimos, who had gone over to the gun case and picked up a Grave Digger.

"How you holding up, Z?" the Boss said.

 _"I wish you let me go home and change, brother,"_ Zimos said. _"What I got on ain't exactly comfortable."_

"We'll stop at Planet Saints or Let's Pretend afterwards, I'm sure they're open," the Boss said and turned towards Oleg. "Where's Johnny? Hope we're not too late for the party."

"Johnny is in cover but taking out whoever he could," Oleg said. "He's great with a gun, but these guys aren't exactly fair, either."

The Boss looked over and saw a couple of guys with masks that had Mohawks on top and were wearing some armor and were carrying some kind of big weapon. One of them opened fire and let out what looked like multiple grenades.

"You're not kidding," the Boss said and went forth and picked up an M2 grenade launcher, as well as a bling shotgun, which was similar to the Grave Digger. "They want a fight, they got one. There's plenty of people left to kill. Let's find Johnny and head inside to find Angel."

All three men ran towards where the Luchadores were standing and firing at the entrance to the gym, which was funny because this abandoned casino was right across from an actual health club. With the Luchadores firing away at will, the Boss noticed Johnny pinned down behind a planter. He looked up and fired any shot he had from his K-8 Krukov.

"Fuck this shit," the Boss said and fired a couple of rounds from his M2, especially towards one of the trucks that the Luchadores brought, that way he'll know that they'll stay down. It didn't take long until the grenades caused a big explosion, as some of the Luchadores dropped, along with their trucks. There was no getting up from that.

All of the Luchadores soldiers were down, the Boss, Oleg, and Zimos found Johnny right by the planter close to the door of the "gym."

"Well, it's about damn time, Boss," Johnny said.

"Thank god you're okay," the Boss said.

"Shit, some of them were easy to take down, but then more of them came out and brought out bigger guns and bigger motherfuckers," Johnny said.

"These guys are pretty brutal," Oleg said.

"I wouldn't doubt if some of these motherfuckers were the ones who tortured me," Johnny said.

"We'll talk more later, we got to find Angel," the Boss said.

He looked at the front of the "gym." It was definitely an old casino as the broken sign implied that it said "Angel's Casino" at the top, but one of the letters flickered and a marquee was above the door saying that it was closed for business, but for some odd reason, the lights were still on. Either someone had been paying for electricity this whole time or someone used some generators to keep the power on despite not being open for business. Add to that there was some graffiti tags on both sides of the front doors.

They walked in, more graffiti was present. Lights were one, but the sign that said "Angel's Casino," though had the letter lights on, some letters were broken off and a dirty banner was below it that said "De La Muerte Gym, Steelport's Premier Wrestling Gym; Now Open." So maybe it was also used as a gym at one point, but the place looked like it had seen better days, and even that was an understatement.

They got into the main area of the casino/gym. Aside from slot machines that happened to be working but not used and gambling tables, what stood out was on the back end of the building was a statue set in front of a stained glass window. The statue looked like some kind of angel holding a blade of some sort with its wings spread and stood like how some churches have the Virgin Mary decorations on the windows.

At the center was a man with a shaved head, purple hoodie, and purple and yellow wrestling tights doing some kind of training. There was a platform with stairs surrounding it and it looked like it was set up like a wrestling ring with blue padded mats on it as well, though one could wonder what that part of the gym was used for when it was a functioning casino. This gave credence that this old casino was later on used as Angel's wrestling gym.

"Who are you guys?" the man said and looked towards Oleg. "You're not one of Loren's brutes."

"And you're not one of Killbane's Luchadores," Oleg said.

The Boss, Johnny, Oleg, and Angel heard some tires screeching on the outside and more motors running and more screeching.

"No, but they are," the Boss said. "We got some company right now."

The Boss, Johnny, Angel, Zimos, and Oleg were ready for their defense. Angel picked up a TEK-Z10 that he happened to have in case he needed to protect himself. The others were already heated, except for Oleg, because his immense size and strength, he would use that to his advantage, though would use guns when necessary.

Through the front doorway, in walked another brute. Just a regular one in jeans, boots, and a white tank-top.

"Leave this impostor to me," Oleg said as he walked toward the brute.

 _"What? That means everyone else is on us?"_ Zimos said.

"Nothing wrong with a little killing," Johnny said.

"We all got this, Z," the Boss said.

The four armed men split up to find some cover in case the Luchadores were to come in and start blasting. Three men in red and green lucha masks walked in armed with machine guns and immediately started to open fire.

Oleg went to go handle the brute himself with his own two fists. If there was one thing that Oleg had over the brute was that he was much smarter than any of them.

"Fa-ther!" the brute yelled.

"You are no child of mine, just an abomination," Oleg said.

The brute just to give Oleg of its might, but Oleg outsmarted it by dodging each attack. The brute kept swinging and swinging, but even with Oleg's size, he was able dodge the attacks as he saw that the brute wasn't that well coordinated, at least that one wasn't. In that moment, Oleg stormed right towards the brute and picked it up with all of his strength and slammed right on top of a craps table.

Meanwhile, everyone was just handling the Luchadores with what they had.

"Fuck it, I got this," Johnny said and went out let out five shots to one man on the right. As soon as that guy dropped, the other two Luchador thugs fired their guns at Johnny.

"Gat!" the Boss yelled.

"I got it, I got it!" Johnny yelled as he quickly dropped to the ground to quickly crawl out the line of gunfire to hide behind a pillar.

The Boss shot at one of them with his bling shotgun from far away, as did Zimos. With those two using shotguns, they didn't take the two Luchador thugs down, as the buckshots only grazed them. The Boss and Zimos ran to the left of the gym/casino and ran along the walkway. Angel went to go join Johnny.

The two Luchadores tried to go after the Boss and Zimos, but were quickly dropped by Johnny and Angel as they flanked them. But that wasn't all as more not only came in through the front, but also above on the walkway. Not just male members, either, but also female members, as it was shown through their shapes in comparison to the men.

"Shit, more of them!" the Boss yelled.

"We all got this, Boss!" Johnny said. "Never would I have thought that I would see some gang of wrestlers."

"Not all of them are wrestlers," Angel said. "Some of them are just some roided-up thugs that Killbane hired to serve him."

"Whatever it is, these guys don't fuck around!" the Boss said.

"Like I said, Killbane doesn't care about rules of engagement," Oleg said.

"And I thought the Vice Kings and the Ronin were brutal at times," Johnny said. "Or even the Brotherhood."

"Don't get me started on the Brotherhood," the Boss said. "Sometimes we deal with some vicious motherfuckers."

All men kept blasting away at anybody who came at them. Zimos looked up and saw another brute, except he wasn't like the one that Oleg dealt with.

 _"What the fuck **is** that guy carriying?!"_ Zimos yelled.

The Boss looked up and saw the brute and stood on what looked like a balcony on top of the front foyer of the casino/gym right under another light sign that said "Angel's" and "El Hombre Bar."

"Mini-gun on top!" the Boss yelled. "Spread out!"

Everyone got out of range of the brute with the mini-gun. The brute just fired away at anybody, it didn't matter what it hit. It even hit some of the fellow Luchadores.

"Who are the fuck are these big motherfuckers?!" Johnny said, as he knelt in cover with the Boss, Zimos, Oleg, and Angel behind a wall on a staircase.

"They are clones," Oleg said. "They are clones of me, but they only have my brawn."

"Shit, that makes sense," Johnny said.

"Listen, you guys stay here," the Boss said. "Except you, Johnny. You come with me."

"I like the way you think, Boss," Johnny said.

Angel took a look around the corner of the stairwell and saw more Luchador thugs coming in.

"More coming in," Angel said.

"We'll take care of this," Oleg said, meaning he, Zimos, and Angel. "You two go on ahead."

The Boss nodded, and he and Johnny ran up the stairs and saw that the brute just kept firing away.

"What's your plan?" Johnny said.

"We both take this guy out?" the Boss said.

"That fucker's got some armor on," Johnny said.

"We fire at the chest and head," the Boss said.

"Okay, works for me," Johnny said.

The Boss and Johnny ran in opposite directions. Johnny had his K-8, the Boss had his bling shotgun. Being that the Boss had dealt with one with a mini-gun before, he knew that it would take more than one to take the brute down. So the Boss drew his shotgun, while Johnny was at a distance with his rifle. They managed to get some shots in, but not enough to phase it. If anything, the brute dropped to ground and landed on its feet.

"Um, Boss?" Johnny said.

"Yeah, yeah, I see that," the Boss said. Because of that, the Boss jumped off and landed on the Brute's back and wrapped his left arm around its neck and quickly got out a frag grenade and pulled the pin.

"Let's see how you like this!" the Boss yelled and shoved the grenade right to the mouth of the brute and quickly released himself off of the brute and jumped out of the way and right after that, the brute's head exploded as blood and brains burst out of what was left of the brute.

 _"You going to pick up the big fucking gun or what?"_ Zimos said.

"Little busy here, I'm getting to it!" the Boss said.

The Boss got himself to his feet and saw that from the back area, out came a couple of other brutes, except they wore helmets and were wielding flamethrowers.

"Fuck!" the Boss yelled and quickly went for the mini-gun that was lying by the body of the dead brute.

"Boss, looks like it's about to get hot in here," Johnny said.

"I see that," the Boss said and picked up the mini-gun. "I got just the thing to take those fools down. Everyone get out of the way!"

Angel, Oleg, Johnny, and Zimos saw what the Boss was carrying. They knew now to get out of the way for this, as the Boss sprayed both brutes with bullets from the mini-gun. It didn't matter if the bullets hit their bodies or the tanks on their banks. Either way, they were going down.

At the rate the bullets were firing, it wasn't long until those brutes were down. The bullets were mainly fired towards their bodies, as blood had splattered all over the place from their muscular bodies.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," the Boss said and looked to everyone else. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Johnny said. "Looks like we cleaned this place out."

"Tell me about it," the Boss said and saw Angel approaching him. "Looks like Killbane isn't your number one fan."

"I don't expect you to understand," Angel said. "It wasn't always that way."

"What do you mean?" the Boss said. "You got a history with him or something?"

"I trained him, taught him how to fight, how to work a crowd," Angel said.

"Then why does he want you dead?" the Boss said.

"I was always the favorite, he could never get over," Angel said. "It drove him mad."

"He wants to kill you because you were more popular than him?" the Boss said.

"No, he wanted to humiliate me first," Angel said. "That's why he took off my mask."

"So, you don't look too bad without it," the Boss said.

"Yeah, you still look like a badass," Johnny said.

 _"I'm sure some ladies would find you attractive, I could hook you up with some,"_ Zimos said.

"I knew you wouldn't understand," Angel said.

The Boss looked around and saw all the bodies lying around. He saw that this guy had his spirit broken and became a recluse.

"Angel, you going to keep sitting around waiting for Killbane to kill you or are you going to do something about it?" the Boss said.

"What do you have in mind?" Angel said.

"We take the fight to Killbane," the Boss said.

"You'll never survive," Angel said.

"Cut the fatalistic bullshit," the Boss said. "You want to help? Help. You don't? Get the fuck out of my way."

"Alright, I'll train with you," Angel said.

Johnny cut in, "Don't take the Boss lightly. He has survived a lot more than you would think."

"Right on, I'll call you when I need you," the Boss said. "But I need you to come with us. I have to meet with some of my other people."

"I'll follow you," Angel said.

The Boss led the way for Johnny, Zimos, and Oleg. Zimos told the Boss that he wanted to make a stop at a clothing store to pick up some clothes for him. Oddly enough, the closest Planet Saints had a suit for him that looked just like the kind he would normally wear, with the collars and cuffs having the zebra print on them. Everyone was on their way to the Saints HQ. The Boss had something he wanted to discuss.

* * *

**LUCHADORES TOWER**

The red and black Temptress was parked in front of the tower somewhere in Sunset Park. It was a tower that belonged to the Luchadores, as Killbane called the meeting. A red and black Justice pulled up for any Morningstar soldiers, as well as Barry, to accompany Viola and Kiki. The tower that was blown up, while it was the main tower for the Syndicate, it mostly operated for the Morningstar.

"I don't know why Eddie called for us to meet at his tower," Kiki said as she and her sister got out of their car. "We're Phillipe's right-hands. Don't you think he'd want us to hold down the fort while he's gone?"

"I don't know, but Killbane seemed pretty forceful about it," Viola said. "I'm sure Killbane had a good reason for it."

"But I just think that with Phillipe gone, we should be the ones to run things for now until he comes back," Kiki said.

Viola said, "We just have to see what he has to say."

Not too far behind was a blue and black Kayak, as a couple of Deckers guys, one being black and the other white. The black was named Raymond and the white was named Chester. Through the back seat, a couple of attractive gothic women with cyber-punk jackets that had a neon blue blow on them, along with a tutu and nylons and skates for some reason got out. One was named Grace, the other was named Kirsten. Both had a similar look, except Kristen had part of her hair cover the right side of her face slightly, while Grace had had bangs in her hair. Both had similar dye-jobs as well.

The last to get out of the car was Matt Miller, who was talking on the phone.

"Listen, love, I got a meeting to attend to, you know what I'm involved in," Matt said in his British accent. "Look, I am not involved in any violent activity, you know that. I just don't want your mum to know about what I do. Listen, I got to do this, I will call you when I'm done. Tootaloo, love."

Matt, along with his fellow Deckers saw the twins standing there. "Oh, hello, Viola, Kiki."

"Who were you talking to, Matt, your girlfriend?" Viola said.

"Now, now, ladies, that's my personal business," Matt said with a bit of hesitation, though his face turned red a tad.

"Hold on, are you blushing?" Kiki said.

"Let's just go inside," Matt said.

Matt, along with his entourage, along with the DeWynter sisters, and other fellow Morningstar members, walked in formation to head to the boardroom of the Luchadores. Since the main Syndicate Tower was destroyed, it seemed that meetings had to be called at various places.

The inside of this place had green walls and some decorations with skulls in the shape of stars, as well as some imagery related to Dia de los Muertos, meaning "Day of the Dead." Some of the Luchadores themselves were of Hispanic descent, particularly Mexican, even though Killbane was a Caucasian male, but had wrestled in Mexico.

Almonzo and El Jose, two of Killbane's top muscle for his organization stood by the door to the boardroom.

"We're here to see Killbane," Viola said with Kiki by her side.

"Right this way, chica," El Jose said and opened the door. The twins and Matt, along with another man in a black and red suit, who turned out to be Barry, walked into the room.

"Barry, what are you doing here?" Kiki said.

"I invited him," Killbane said. "I thought we needed some more people for the meeting."

"Okay, what's going on?" Viola said.

"You'll see," Barry said.

A screen that was on the wall facing the twins, Barry, Matt, and Killbane had turned on, as Phillipe was shown sitting on a chair in what looked like an office of some sort.

"Ah, I see that the meeting has started," Phillipe said. "Let's this get this underway, shall we? I understand that our tower was blown up. Mr. Killbane filled us in on the details."

"That is correct," Kiki said.

"But there is one problem," Phillipe said. "I know that my impostor was killed as I had set him up. It seemed that on the cameras, Johnny Gat was seen getting out of the room he was in."

The twins looked at each other.

"Who could possibly have set him free?" Phillipe said. "I didn't find any footage of who could have set him free, but someone must have. I guess we didn't have that good of security when it happened."

"What are you saying?" Viola said.

"Do you want us to handle things, Phillipe?" Kiki said. "We're your two assistants. What would you like for us to do? We'll lead the Syndicate in the fight against the Saints."

Killbane cut in, "I'll take this one. I was the one who filled Phillipe in one what happened to the tower. So for that, I had someone else in mind to lead the fight against the Saints."

"Excuse me?" Viola said. "But we had been on Phillipe's side for a while."

"Viola, Kiki, please let Mr. Killbane finish," Phillipe said on the screen.

"But Viola and Kiki were Mr. Loren's right-hands," Matt added. "Shouldn't they be the ones to lead the Syndicate?"

Killbane growled and picked up a steel chair and swung it right at Matt. "Quiet, Matty! The barbarians are at the gate! We need a general, not an ambassador!" Killbane yelled.

"Calm down, Eddie," Kiki said.

"What did you call me?" Killbane said as he scowled towards Kiki. Even through his mask, it was clear he was not happy to hear his real name.

"Calm down, Mr. Killbane," Phillipe said. "You didn't need to attack Mr. Miller like that."

Viola went up to Matt and helped him get up. Even though their relationship was mostly professional, Viola saw that Matt was young and did not deserve to be attacked like that.

"Are you okay, Matt?" Viola whispered to Matt.

"Yes, I'll be okay," Matt whispered back to her.

Killbane took a deep breath and went up to Matt and helped him get into the chair he swung him with. "I'm very sorry, Matty. I was just upset."

"It's okay, Killbane," Matt said as he trembled at what he just experienced.

"Ladies," Phillipe said on the screen. "With all due respect, Mr. Killbane knows that we need to deal with this problem before things get out of hand. Because someone wasn't watching the tower that well, I think Barry over there should handle things in our war with the Saints. For that, he will be co-leaders with the two of you of the Morningstar, but he will be a bit above as he wants to take the fight against them."

Both twins' eyes widened at what they just heard.

"What?!" Kiki said. "Why should he a bit higher than us in leading the fight against the Saints?"

Barry cut in, "Kiki, don't take this the wrong way, but sometimes you just need to strike back whichever way you should. I think I know a way to get the Saints' leader right where we want him."

"This is crazy," Kiki said. "I can't believe this."

Kiki turned around and walked a bit, while Viola tended to her sister.

"I know you're not happy about this," Phillipe said. "But when I return in a few weeks, we'll see what we can do about our Saint problem. Right now, it stands that Killbane will lead the Syndicate. Like I told you before, you will lead in our business deals and some of the stuff with the Morningstar, but Barry came to me and said he wanted to lead the Morningstar in our war. I'm sorry, but it stands."

Kiki put her hand over her eyes and walked out of the room, while Viola followed her.

"Mr. Miller," Phillipe said.

"Yes, Mr. Loren?" Matt said.

Phillipe said, "I want you to handle the Saints' business practices and find anything that they have a hand in, like the businesses they took in Steelport, as well as more of their assets in Stilwater. Find what they have."

"If things get violent, I have Grace and Kirsten to help with that," Matt said.

"Good, meeting adjourned," Phillipe said and the screen went off.

Meanwhile, outside, Kiki wiped a bit of the tears from her eyes.

"Kiki, relax, they don't know about what we did," Viola said.

"Viola, you don't understand, if Phillipe died or took off for a bit, we were supposed to do all the thinking," Kiki said. "For the Morningstar, for the Syndicate. I wonder if Eddie manipulated Phillipe or something. Now we're assistants to Barry? That guy was always trying to kiss Phillipe's ass."

"Look, we'll figure out something okay," Viola said. "We'll find a way to show what we can do."

Kiki took a deep breath. "Hope you're right." Just like that, she nodded her head, while Viola hugged her sister.

* * *

**SAINTS HQ**

In the main living room area, many Saints were gathered, along with the new people, like Kinzie, Angel, Zimos, and Oleg. Standing with them were Johnny, Pierce, and Shaundi. Across from them were some of the others, including Lucy, Tony, Dave, Saint Rocco, and Aimee.

"I can see what the Boss is going to do now," Shaundi said.

"Remember, you and Pierce went through this when you first joined," Johnny said. "All we got to do is listen."

"Alright, everybody listen up, we got some serious shit to discuss," the Boss said as he walked in the gap of the lines of Saints that were lined up, like he was a general. "We thought we took down the Syndicate, but it turns out we were wrong. We were very wrong. We thought we killed their leader, but it turned he fucked with us. They all did. The Syndicate has to answer for what they did, and this time, we're taking the fight to them."

The Boss went up to the line of new people whom he recruited. "Since we don't know Steelport that well, I brought in some people who do. This is Kinzie, Zimos, Oleg, and Angel. Talk to one of these guys, they'll have things for you to do. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: it's our time now, let's get this shit started."

The Boss stood before his Saint soldiers and raised his fist in the air, causing everyone in front of him to do the same.

The Saints were not going to leave Steelport, not after what they went through the same night of the same day that they thought they took down their leader, who was very much alive. It was now time to take the Syndicate down any way they could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this went on longer than I thought. Imagine if I did this as one whole chapter.
> 
> So I redid the meeting with the Syndicate. Instead of some storage room that likely was at the 3 Count Casino (I'm assuming), I decided that I put the Luchadores Tower to use. I might do the same for the Deckers Tower at some point. I also decided to give more characterization for Kiki, as we didn't really get to know her in the game. I know she had more lines in "Gat Out of Hell," but that was different and also done by a different voice actress than the one for "The Third."
> 
> Also, some of the additional dialogue at Angel's Gym, as well as when they meet Kinzie, that was some unused dialogue. I found them on the wiki and decided to use them.
> 
> Regarding the Deckers, here's something that I'm debating. I'm going to write the specialists and mercenaries as people who are older than Matt. I know that sources have said that they are supposed to be teens, as well as Matt being 16 in "The Third," but I am not sure about going with the idea of fighting teenage gang members, depending on their standing in the gang. I know that teenage gang members exist and I have read some stories that depicted them, but I am slightly uncomfortable with the idea of characters who may actually be kids. Therefore, I will write in some characters who handle the combat bits in the Deckers. You'll see what I may do.
> 
> I will see what I could do next. I may some other interludes with passing mentions for the activities that Zimos, Angel, and Kinzie provide. Stay tuned.


	13. An Unhappy Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it hasn't been too long, as it's only been a week. I needed a break after that three-parter. This will be an interlude. Enjoy!

It was late morning, close to noon. After what the Saints went through the night before, they needed a rest. They were almost blown up and close to drowning from what happened on the bridge. Not to mention that the Boss and Pierce went to a BDSM club and would rather not endure something like that again, as well as nearly get killed by a siege on an abandoned casino/wrestling gym.

The sun shined through the big glass window at Saints HQ as the Boss had gotten out to the pool area in the penthouse to think about what the Saints could do to take the fight to the Syndicate. Everyone had been fooled. Phillipe Loren was very much alive. The Syndicate wasn't hurt after blowing up their tower. The Boss came to a realization that these gangs, while a bit unorthodox compared to what he had dealt with before, they were not to be messed with. The Morningstar was a bit typical as they seem like Russian mobsters, but a gang of roided up mercenaries who wear lucha libre masks? Or even cyber-goth gangsters? No one had ever seen anything like that before.

To top it all off, these gangs are all one unit. Though they may be separate to a point, they were all affiliated with one another, making Steelport an even bigger feat to conquer. The Boss remembered how it was in the past. The Westside Rollerz, the Vice Kings, Los Carnales, as well as the Sons of Samedi, the Ronin, and the Brotherhood of Stilwater. What separated these gangs from the Syndicate was that they were all rival gangs to each other. Imagine if the Rollerz, the VK's, and the Carnales were all connected, or even if the Brotherhood, Ronin, or Sons of Samedi all worked together. It would be quite a struggle to take them all on if they were all one whole package.

It was no easy task taking on those gangs, even though the first three gangs were more at the command of then-leader Julius Little. However, Steelport was still unfamiliar territory. But the question on his mind was this: could these new people bring anything to the table?

"Hey, Boss," a voice said. It sounded male. The Boss turned around and saw that it was Pierce, who looked like he had been up for a few hours and had cleaned himself up, like he was ready to go somewhere or just returned from doing something.

"Pierce, what's going on?" the Boss said.

"Not a lot, just saw you out here alone and wondered what was going on, you know?" Pierce said.

The Boss turned around and faced what was in front of him. "I know what you mean. I just have a lot on my mind."

"I'm the same way," Pierce said. "This problem with the Syndicate is bigger than we thought."

The Boss turned around and walked around the pool, with Pierce standing nearby.

"I know, which is why I am trying to think about what we should do about this," the Boss said.

"Well, we do got our new people involved," Pierce said. "But I thought I should tell you something."

"What?" the Boss said right when he was about to open the door.

"Shaundi doesn't think that they will be much help," Pierce said.

"Really? What does Johnny think about this?" the Boss said. "I think I'm going to have a talk with them about this."

"Nah, Johnny's cool with it," Pierce said. "It's just that Shaundi doesn't think that with all the shit that we've been through, that taking on something like this shouldn't be hard for us."

"No one said that taking on gangs is easy," the Boss said. "I can't tell you how many times we have faced death and got out just fine. Not to say that we couldn't have died, but like I said last night, we don't know this city. We don't know what these guys are capable of. Sure, the other two gangs seem kind of weird, but after what me, Johnny, Oleg, Zimos, and Angel went through last night, we're surprised that we're still standing."

The Boss opened the door to get inside.

"But what about the new people?" Pierce said.

"They're going to help us, we recruited them for a reason," the Boss said. "I'll go talk to her in a bit."

"That's the problem, she ain't here," Pierce said.

"What?" the Boss said. "Where is she?"

"After our meeting last night, that was when she told me about her issue of our new blood in the gang, she took off," Pierce said. "She is at Derek's house. She was not happy about this."

"She is staying at her ex's house?" the Boss said. "Look, I'm going to call her and set this shit straight."

So it seemed that Shaundi's argument with Pierce about having another girl on the team, or even the part when Oleg said that the Saints weren't ready to fight the Syndicate struck a nerve with her.

"Look, she just took off after the meeting," Pierce said. "Johnny and I tried to talk to her, but she just wasn't having it."

"Don't worry, I got this," the Boss said. "I'll call her in a bit and ask her to meet me at an Apollo's or Phuc Mi Phuc Yue, or maybe I'll just talk to her over at the apartment. I need to have a word with her right now about this."

Out of nowhere, another male voice said, "Hey, Boss, where you going?"

The Boss looked up and saw Johnny, who had picked up some Freckle Bitch's for himself and Pierce, as well as anybody else who was around as they were hungry.

"Oh, Johnny, hey," the Boss said. "I'm taking off. I heard Shaundi took after our little meeting."

Johnny scoffed. "Pierce and I tried to talk to her, but she was not to happy about our new people. Look, I know we can take on the Syndicate with all of our shit, but she thinks that we don't need these other guys."

"Doesn't she know that we don't know this city that well?" the Boss said.

"That's what we tried to tell her," Johnny said. "Look, Boss, I know that we don't like to plan shit out and that we just want to get straight to it. But what happened to us on the bridge and in Angel's gym, the Syndicate's got those big motherfuckers and I don't just mean those guys with the flamethrowers or mini-guns. Those masked fools did not fuck around. I mean those new guys know the Syndicate better than us. Don't get me wrong, I like me some killing, but I did not expect one of those guys to be using a grenade launcher that shoots out multiple grenades like that."

Johnny had a valid point. What's crazy to the Boss was how a lot of what happened made Johnny see things in a different light than before. Though Johnny was all about shooting up gang members and cops, the Boss knew that Johnny was tortured and was pinned down by the Luchadores. If he and Zimos didn't get there in time while he was pinned down, Johnny would have been dead for real this time.

"I'm going to take a shower and get ready," the Boss said. "It's time that Shaundi sees that this is not easy for us. I know that she has gotten better with guns and stuff, but remember, we all thought that Loren was dead. Who knows what these Syndicate assholes have up their sleeves? But first I need to clean myself up."

The Boss went to the bathroom to take a shower. He didn't take long and then put on a pair of black jeans, as well as some black, white, purple sneakers, and also a purple T-shirt with a white Saints jacket.

"I'll be back," the Boss said and headed for the elevator. "Let me know when something comes up."

"Don't worry, Boss," Pierce said.

"We all got this place covered," Johnny said.

* * *

The Boss took the elevator to the garage area at the bottom of the building. He went for his purple and white Neuron. He had the keys to that car and clicked it unlocked and went into the driver's seat. He got out his phone and called the one person he needed to talk to.

 _"Hello, Boss,"_ Shaundi said.

"Shaundi, I heard you took off last night," the Boss said. "I heard you're upset about something."

Shaundi shrugged even through the phone. _"What gave you that idea?"_

"Pierce and Johnny filled me in," the Boss said. "They said you're at Derek's."

 _"They what? Fuck, I knew I shouldn't have told them,"_ Shaundi said.

"Look, they told me about how you weren't happy about our new people," the Boss said.

 _"You just don't get it, do you?"_ Shaundi said.

"More than you think," the Boss said. "Look, I'm going over to the apartment. I thought about talking about this with you at Apollo's or something, but this type of discussion is better if we talk in private. Is Derek there?"

 _"No, he took off for work earlier,"_ Shaundi said. _"Why would you care if he's here or not?"_

"Like I said, I want this to be a private discussion between us," the Boss said. "Stay there. I'm on my way."

The Boss started up the car and put it on K-Rhyme FM. The moment a song had ended, a news report came on.

_"For most people, sexual fetishes are left in the bedroom or the brothel. However, citizens here in Steelport were recently exposed to the darker side of the equestrian world. Several pony carts were used as getaway vehicles during a shootout on the streets of the city. The carts, pulled by people dressed in leather straps and wearing bridles, turned the heads of both the disgusted and the aroused. Not one witness could give a description of the drivers who were shooting each other, most stating they were too busy trying to figure out how the horse tails were attached. This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Recreational News."_

* * *

The Boss took a drive from Sunset Park to Brickston. He had hoped that Shaundi would stay there, but one good thing about the access to the loft was that the Boss also had a key to get inside. It was now afternoon, around 12:30 to 1 PM in the day, maybe after 1. He saw some Deckers walking around, but he didn't have time to worry about them at this very moment. There was only one thing he wanted to do.

He pulled up in front of the apartment building. He got out of his Neuron. He headed straight for the door and went up the stairs and the first door on the right. He went straight in as he had his key to get inside. The first thing he saw was Shaundi sitting on the pink couch with her head down overlooking the bongs on the green coffee table. If this was how Shaundi was when she first joined, she would be taking a hit from one of the bongs, but she didn't.

"Shaundi?" Boss said.

Shaundi jumped the moment she heard her name and looked to her right and saw that the Boss stood right there.

"Oh, hey," Shaundi said with so little enthusiasm in her voice.

"Hey, just thought I'd see what's up with you," Boss said. "May I sit down?"

Shaundi looked up and sighed and scooted over so that the Boss can sit next to her on the couch.

"Pierce and Johnny told me that you're not too happy about us recruiting those new people," the Boss said.

Shaundi took a deep breath and looked at him.

"Look, just tell me what's going on," the Boss said. "Besides, I am not just the Boss here. You're also talking to Vince."

Just then, Shaundi looked at him with her eyes widened. Vince was the Boss's real name, but he didn't like being addressed as such. Though the Boss had quite a relationship with his high-ranking members, he was rather close with Johnny, who knew his real name, but also knew that the Boss liked being called "Playa" when he first joined the Saints.

"Why did you take off like that?" the Boss said.

Shaundi sighed once again. "I just don't know if we really need those new people on the team. I mean that weird nerdy girl? What could she do? Or that old pimp? Or even that washed-up wrestler? We could try to take down the Syndicate on our own. We don't need the extra help. Plus, I know that if I put a bullet between the eyes of those two twins or even that big masked guy, it would all be over with. Let's not forget that they almost killed Johnny."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" the Boss said. "I know I have my method of getting shit done. But really, we don't shit about these other gangs. Kinzie is a hacker with some extensive knowledge about some of these gangs, including the Deckers. Zimos has his own issues with the Morningstar. Angel wants to bring down the Luchadores. They're going to help their own way. They don't have to join in on the fights, but they're going to help."

The Boss paused a bit. "I almost wondered if you really were jealous about having another woman on the team."

"You sound like Pierce right now," Shaundi said.

"Did you forget that we have a lot of women on the team?" the Boss said.

"Like who? Aimee, that one girl who likes to surf on cars and go base-jumping?" Shaundi said. "She is not up to my league."

"No, but she does help, as do the others," the Boss said. "I also need to tell you this: you may think it would be just a simple task to put a bullet between the eyes of members of the Morningstar, Deckers, and Luchadores, but this is really some serious shit. I will admit that I thought the same thing, but Pierce sometimes has a point when it comes to planning shit out. Even Johnny feels that we need more help, because he could have died last night if Zimos and I didn't come in time to help him, Oleg, and Angel out. Let's not forget that when you first started, Veteran Child held you as a human shield and could have killed you that one day. I know that you have gotten better with guns, but sometimes you need to use your head in shit like this."

It was then that Shaundi realized that she had been following Johnny's methods this whole time. Johnny believed in just going in with guns blazing, but no one is made of iron. Johnny had been shot in the leg before, as well as stabbed with a katana. He was even tortured by the Syndicate. He may still be going, but nobody is unstoppable.

The Boss put his left arm around Shaundi to try to comfort her. She saw that there had to be more than just going in with weapons drawn and bullets flying.

"I know you've improved a lot, but there's a lot more to learn when it comes to taking down a rival gang," the Boss said.

"I know what you mean now, Vince," Shaundi said and looked up directly towards his eyes. The Boss looked Shaundi directly in the eye. He was mesmerized by her beauty and saw the way she looked back at him, but he quickly turned away. Though he had some feelings for Shaundi, he didn't want them to get in the way of this whole war with the Syndicate.

"I'm glad you do," the Boss said. "Let's go back to the crib. We'll talk more about this later."

"Right, let's go," Shaundi said and got up from the couch. The two were headed out to go back to the Saints HQ to discuss more of the plan. The Boss felt that maybe he needed to talk with the new people about what they should or could do. But until then, they just needed to discuss the plan when they get back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I revealed the Boss's real name. It may come more into play as the story progresses.
> 
> Regarding the bits with Kinzie, Zimos, and Angel, I may do it like before by mentioning things in passing, or maybe not making detailed chapters of the activities. For example, I can understand the Boss helping Zimos get his business back in order, or helping Kinzie with her stuff. I shall see.
> 
> I also felt like giving Johnny a little more characterization. Now don't get me wrong, I'm still writing him as a badass character, but I wanted to develop his character a bit more, especially with how he was developed in SR IV. It had been a while since the first game, so maybe he sees that there is more to fighting the competition than just going in shooting. I should have noted that before.
> 
> I will do more soon. I just needed a break after doing those three chapters.


	14. Sticking It to the Deckers

The Boss had talked to Shaundi when he went to the apartment in Brickston and the two were about to go to back to the Saints HQ. That is, until the Boss got three text messages from the latest recruits to the Saints.

"Vince, what's wrong?" Shaundi said.

"I got some messages from the new guys," the Boss said. "Also, what's with you calling me by my real name?"

"Nothing, just thought you wanted to hear that," Shaundi said.

"Listen, it's going to take some getting used to," the Boss said. "Anyway, I got to see what's up."

"Like what?" Shaundi said.

The Boss looked at the messages. There were three messages: one from Kinzie, another from Angel, and the other from Zimos. Kinzie's message read:

_Boss, I need your help right away. Meet me at the warehouse by the docks in Salander._

Angel's message read:

_If you want me to train you, give me a call. There are some things you need to know when taking on the Luchadores._

Zimos's message read:

_Hey, Playa, give me a call, but take your time. Don't be in a rush, ya dig?_

"They seem like they need my help," the Boss said. "I was going to take you back to the crib, but it seems like I need to help out the new people."

"Don't worry about me, I drove myself here," Shaundi said. "I'll be at the crib or checking on some stuff around here."

"Are you sure about this?" the Boss said.

"Positive," Shaundi said as she entered the garage where her Torch was. "I'll see you back at the crib, Vince."

"See you later," the Boss said, even though he was not quite used to being addressed by his real name. He looked at the messages. He saw that he was in Brickston, and Salander was not far away. In fact, it was close by. He knew who he needed to call first.

The call went through. "Kinzie, how's…?"

 _"Good, I need help,"_ Kinzie said.

"Everything alright?" the Boss said, realizing how quickly Kinzie answered the phone and what the first thing she said was.

 _"If it was alright, I wouldn't need help, would I?"_ Kinzie said. _"The boxes are too heavy."_

"Boxes? What boxes?" the Boss said.

 _"I'm moving stuff into my place,"_ Kinzie said. _"There are boxes, some are too heavy for me. I need help, got it?"_

The Boss sighed. "I'll be right over."

The text message from before read that Kinzie's place was a warehouse by the docks in Salander. Could this be a familiar warehouse? The GPS was set up and the Boss was on his way.

* * *

The Boss pulled up in his Neuron to the docks and saw the warehouse. It seemed that it was the same warehouse that the Syndicate, or at least the Morningstar had when the Boss chased after one of the Morningstar's lieutenants by helicopter.

 _You sure know how to pick your places, Kinzie._ The Boss thought. He approached the door and knocked on it. The door immediately opened and right in front of the Boss was Kinzie, who had a lot of boxes stacked, as well as some stuff set up already. Some of the stuff in the warehouse was already there to begin with. Just as long as any of the corpses of the Morningstar were disposed of, then it would be good.

"Glad, you're here," Kinzie said.

"I wouldn't miss this," the Boss sarcastically said and picked up a box. "Quite a place you got here."

"I got everything I need here," Kinzie said.

The Boss looked around and saw boxes and a couple of Joe Cola machines around near the break rooms. It made him wonder how a place like this could be inhabitable. Then again, he saw Angel's gym, and it was likely that Angel lived there.

"I thought someone who just got out of captivity would want to live it up a little more," the Boss said. "Shit, I got that crib in Sunset Park. You could stay with us if you want."

"Not really, I hate people," Kinzie said as she carried a box.

"Oh," the Boss said in such a way that seemed like he was dumbfounded and picked up another box. "So do you have anything on the Deckers?"

"Not yet," Kinzie said so quickly.

"Okay, what have you been doing since you got out?" the Boss said as he carried a box.

"Power leveling," Kinzie said so quickly yet again.

"You're killing me, Kinzie," the Boss said.

Kinzie put down another box. "I can't help you take down the Deckers until I know where' they're hiding. So I wrote a program that tracks a user's physical location while they're logged on."

The Boss approached Kinzie with another box. "That's…awesome?"

"Just play the damn game and I can pinpoint where the Deckers are in real life," Kinzie said.

"A game? You mean a video game could track some people down?" the Boss said.

"I wrote the program, so I need you to help me with this," Kinzie said. "I know what I'm doing and I need you to use the program."

The Boss smirked a tad. "Tracking people down using a video game, now we're talkin'. I'll do it."

Kinzie showed the Boss a setup that she had. It was connected to a TV that she had, as well as some of her computer setup that consisted of multiple monitors. It seemed that this young woman was in cyberspace quite often. She had this program connected to one of her computers but was also linked to her TV.

Kinzie went to her computer system, while the Boss sat in a gamer chair in front of the TV and picked up a controller. On the screen, there was some avatar on top of a motorcycle of some sort in some kind of cyber world. From what Vince was told, this type of program was created so that Kinzie could gather information from the Deckers, whether it's members or any personal contacts of theirs. Vince controlled the avatar through the cyber world on the motorcycle, and even went through some tanks. Apparently, the end of the track marked the end of the process.

However, there were two other tracks to go through and Vince gladly went through them. Though the other two were a little difficult, especially with the fire placed in some inconvenient spots, he managed to get through them. The more he went through some checkpoints and destroyed the cyber-tanks, the more Kinzie gained more information to use against the Deckers. This type of process was new for the Saints, but it seemed that the Deckers were something that the Saints never faced. So maybe Kinzie was the perfect addition for the Saints.

After the process was done, Kinzie approached the Boss, who got up from the chair.

"Okay, that should do it, but that's not all I have for you," Kinzie said.

"Wait, what?" the Boss said.

"For me to get at the Deckers, you need to disrupt one of their shell companies," Kinzie said.

"Any one in particular?" the Boss said.

"A fence company," Kinzie said. "That's 'fence' like a barrier, not 'fence' like 'buyer of stolen goods.'"

"You're kidding me, right?" the Boss said.

"The company that makes them is seriously bad news," Kinzie said. "If you'd rather a corrupt, sinister corporation keep making money…"

"Uh, I'll do it," the Boss said. "Easier to say yes then understand the reason with you."

"What was that?" Kinzie said.

"Nothing, I have my way of taking down fences," the Boss said.

"Okay, just take them down any way you can," Kinzie said. "I will also need you for a task involving getting some contacts away from the Deckers."

"I'll see what I can do," the Boss said and headed out of the warehouse and to his Neuron. He went around the area of Stanfield and found a lot of barriers. He rounded up some of his people to start blowing up and/or smashing some of the fences down. Even though this seemed like something a bit pointless to them, they figured it could drive some of the prices down from the Deckers' connections, which could put the hurt on them a bit.

Not long after all of that was done, the Boss got a call from Kinzie, who said that she was spotted by the Deckers and was immediately targeted. The Boss told some of his support to go meet her somewhere and called someone to meet up with him somewhere with a helicopter. He helped Pierce this way before. Maybe this was the way to help her as well.

Like before, he sniped when she was on foot. Lucky for Kinzie, she had some support with her. The moment she saw a purple Infuego pulled up, she got in, while one of the members with her took the wheel, as everyone else kept firing away at any Deckers chasing after them.

But it wasn't over for the Deckers. The Boss told the pilot to fly away and he got out his Annihilator RPG launcher. The chase was now on as more of the Deckers chased after her in blue and black Kayaks, as well as Solars with the same color scheme. On top of that, some Bear APC's chased after her.

 _"Boss, I got a plan,"_ Kinzie said. _"Keep tailing these guys off. I'm going to hide for a bit. I need you to get a Vulture attack chopper."_

"Why?" the Boss said.

 _"Because with me out here, you could take down the Deckers while I gather more information,"_ Kinzie said.

"I thought you got some information already," the Boss said.

 _"That was only a little bit of it,"_ Kinzie said. _"I didn't get all the info I needed when you strolled through cyberspace in that game. I need to go around to find a better signal to really find some things to really stick it to the Deckers."_

"Okay, that'll work for me," the Boss said, who looked to the pilot to signal to him so that he could use the attack chopper this time. The pilot contacted another fellow pilot to deliver the purple Vulture.

Now it was time to really put the hurt on the Deckers. When Pierce cased Downtown Steelport, as well as other areas like Henry Steel Mills, the Boss had his back each time. This time, Kinzie just wanted to get more information and to also screw them over in some way. There was one problem, though: this helicopter had dumb missiles. No matter to the Boss, as he had his way with dealing with things like this.

The Boss dropped any Decker vehicle that went Kinzie's way. The driver drove her around while she had her support from above and in the same car. All she had was her laptop so that she could hack into any systems that we close by. She went through all around town, until she made a final stop and left the car into what looked like a corner diner.

The Boss flew through the air and got out his phone and called Kinzie.

"Hey, Kinzie, how's the information you got on the Deckers coming?" the Boss said.

 _"It's compiling,"_ Kinzie said.

"So what's next?" the Boss said.

 _"Not talking over the phone now, too many people could be listening,"_ Kinzie said.

"Okay…," the Boss said in a confused tone.

 _"Smiling Jacks, go there,"_ Kinzie said.

"Okay, I'm on my way," the Boss said.

He went to land the chopper in an area and called up one of his loyal soldiers to deliver a purple Raycaster that he had. He was told to meet Kinzie at Smiling Jacks for some reason. So he marked it on his GPS to head there. It was definitely the same place Kinzie went into after he was in the air with the attack chopper.

He went inside. The place had a definite 1950s feel to it, with the décor and also old-fashioned jukebox close to the door. He walked around the place.

"Kinzie, where are you?" the Boss said in an inside voice as he didn't want to draw any attention on him from any patrons.

"You should be more careful, I saw you coming from two blocks ago. Traffic cameras, they're everywhere in this town," a female voice said from under a booth. The Boss looked under the table of the booth and it turned out it was Kinzie, looking at her laptop computer.

"Good to know," the Boss said in a confused tone.

"I'm serious," Kinzie said as she continued typing on her keyboard. "And you should toss out your fancy overpriced phone. I can find you through that, too. Remember when I told you know your real name, V-?"

"Uh, you're not quite there yet," the Boss said as he looked downward towards her as she continued to work on her laptop under the table. "Look, I feel kind of weird having a conversation like this."

What was funny about this was that a couple of other booths nearby were just doing their own thing like nothing about this was odd. But because Steelport was also a crime-ridden city, nothing should surprise the citizens.

Kinzie looked up at the Boss. "Totally agree. We should be using, like, that Navajo code dialect."

The Boss replied and squatted to talk to her, "Come up for air. I took care of the Deckers."

"Sure, let down your guard and suddenly, they make it look like you're selling secrets to Mossad and moonlighting as a dominatrix," Kinzie said so quickly. "We've created a big enough distruption for you move on Matt Miller. But if you want the Deckers gone, like really gone, there's a lot of work to do. I'll give you the names of some of my contacts to take from them and they have some mercs around town guarding their business fronts."

"All right, I'll hit you up if I need any more help," the Boss said as he ascended to stand up.

Kinzie leaned out from under the table and said, "Remember, throw out your phone!"

The Boss just gave her a signal as he headed to exit the diner.

But there were two other people he needed to contact. Angel wanted to help train him to take on the Luchadores. Zimos just wanted some help being that he was no longer a slave at Safeword. Being that he was one of the oldest pimps in the city, it's likely that he wanted to get his business back up and running. So the Boss took out his phone and made the call.

 ** _"Uh, hello?"_** Zimos said on the phone even with his auto-tune box.

"Zimos, I was…," the Boss said.

 _ **"Think this can wait? I'm in the middle of something,"**_ Zimos said.

"You want me to swing by instead?" the Boss said.

 _ **"Yeah sure, and seriously, no hurry,"**_ Zimos said.

The Boss heard some female voices in the background saying stuff like, "Come on, Zimos, I know you want more," and other things to that effect. One could only guess what was going on at that moment.

"Uh, see you, Z," the Boss said as he started up his Raycaster.

 _ **"Bye, now where was I? Oh yeah!"**_ Zimos said and the call ended.

The Boss figured what was going on in that moment. It was pretty obvious to him. Being that Zimos was all the way in Espina, this would be enough time for him to finish his…own little task.

* * *

**MEANWHILE…**

In a room where there was a rather large computer setup, as well as posters of Nyte Blayde and such, Matt Miller sat on a chair that was feet away from a bed. He had quite a room, which had a lot of technological machinery. It seemed like he had quite an eye to the world.

For a person that young, it seemed like he was hired for the Syndicate because of his expertise. He may have been the leader of the Deckers, but it seemed like he was having a day off of some sort. It wasn't like he didn't have any other members to call shots when needed.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Yes?" Matt said. "Kirsten, what's going on? What?! The Saints have taken down all our men and you failed to take out Kinzie Kensington? So they have an attack chopper."

While Matt was on the phone, he looked at some of his computer monitors and it seemed like some of the businesses were affected, like having some money used for some arms being shipped to third-world countries.

"Listen, Agent Kensington is my problem," Matt said. "I will deal with her. I got some tricks up my sleeve. If the leader of the Saints causes any more problems, I want you and Grace to handle him and the rest of their crew. They don't know anything about the cyber world, but I know you and Grace can handle matters. You can send some of our other mercenaries, as well as some of your fellow specialists after them. We'll deal with them soon."

The call had ended. Matt continued to look at the monitor and found some various files on the Saints.

"Well, Agent Kensington, you think you're that good, but remember, I am the cyber-god and you never will stop me!" Matt said out loud. Until his phone rang yet again and the name on the screen said "Melissa" and featured a young teenage girl on the screen.

"Oh, hello, love," Matt said. "Oh no, I'm not busy right now. I can talk."

It seemed that Matt had some stuff to do before the Saints were to become a problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is going to be somewhat of a three-parter but not like when I did "Return to Steelport." This chapter, along with the next two are depictions of when the Boss does activities, but like before with Pierce, I didn't go into detail. I also thought it would be interesting to have Guardian Angel to go right into Heli Assault for this one.
> 
> I had debated how I would do some bits for some activities but you will see what I will do with them. I will only include some gameplay elements to a point. I did that with my Dead Rising story before and I mean the actual story I did, not the survivor anthologies/story collections. It was even like that for my Final Fight stories. There's a reason I didn't include bits involving breaking trash cans or oil drums to eat a piece of food because that won't work in a story.
> 
> Next up will be the stuff with Zimos. Stay tuned.


	15. Back in Business

The Boss drove from Salander to get to Espina. It was quite a drive, but with Zimos having been busy, and one could mean _really_ busy, it would be enough time for him to finish what he was doing.

Zimos was one of Steelport's oldest pimps and had been in business for quite a long time. One could only guess what his issue with the Morningstar was. Maybe his issue wasn't with Phillipe Loren, but rather Kiki and Viola DeWynter. After all, those two were the right-hands to Phillipe and had some authority in the Morningstar. If Kinzie's issue was the Deckers was something personal in her own little war with Matt Miller, as well as Angel's vendetta with Killbane being over what happened ages ago, something must have happened between Zimos and the DeWynter sisters.

Vince pulled up in his Raycaster into the lot of Zimos's Car Wash, which had a sign depicting a half-naked woman from behind washing a car and the exterior having purple and pink color schemes with some bubbles and the light sign having a big Z on top of a light sign say "Car Wash," as well as the big Z being designed like a dollar sign.

The car parked and Vince got a text message reading:

_Come on in, Playa. Door's unlocked. Just be quiet when you walk in, ya hear?_

Vince got out of the car and headed for the front door. He walked up a couple of flights of stairs. He knew that Zimos had an apartment on the third floor of this establishment. It would seem that the car wash was a side business and/or a front for his prostitution business, except it seemed that prostitution was legal in Steelport.

The Boss walked in. This apartment was quite a pad, with a mounted shark on the wall wearing a purple pimp hat, as well as a couple leopard-print couches and zebra-print ottomans. It definitely had a 1970s vibe to it.

The Boss looked around and saw Zimos sitting on a couch in a bathrobe lighting up a joint, with four naked women lying on the floor asleep. Oh it was obvious what went on in there.

"Hey, Zimos," the Boss said a bit loudly.

Zimos gave a shush sound and grabbed his microphone and whispered. _"Don't wake the bitches."_

"You don't waste time," the Boss said.

 _"Well, if you were chewing on a ball-gag with a horse tail up your ass for a few years, I think you'd want to unwind, too,"_ Zimos said.

"Fair enough," Boss said and looked around at the naked women sleeping.

Zimos blew his nose a bit and took a hit of his joint. _"I'm guessin' you ain't come here for the pussy."_

Though the Boss liked what he saw, he had other things in mind and sat on the other couch. "Nah, I want to talk business. If the Saints are going to stay in Steelport, we need the Morningstar out of here. I already worked Downtown, but these motherfuckers are everywhere."

"Oh, I'm here to help, baby," Zimos said. _"I know every track the Morningstar are working. We can build up our stable and hurt the DeWynter sisters at the same time."_

"Sounds good, what do you got in mind?" the Boss said.

 _"Let me go put on some clothes and we'll talk business some mo',"_ Zimos said.

Zimos got up and went over to his bedroom to go and put on some clothes.

"Wait, Z, you can just tell me what's up," the Boss said. "You and I can do something in a bit, but right now, I think you may want to get some girls out there, know what I mean?"

 _"Oh, sure thing, Playa,"_ Zimos said. _"I got my people out there watchin' the corners, lettin' me know where the bitches are."_

"You got some place I can stash them?" the Boss said.

 _"Sure do, you just bring 'em on by after you grab 'em,"_ Zimos said. _"Use my whip outside. It's got enough room to bring the bitches."_

"Nothing I haven't gone through," the Boss said. "I'll go do it right now."

The Boss saw a purple and black Churchill outside. Considering that he would need a four-door car to do this, this was just the perfect vehicle to use, as his Raycaster was a two-door vehicle and had no backseat. It seemed to be Zimos's car, as it was decked out like an old school pimpmobile.

Vince remembered going through something like this before, whether it's getting women for some overweight guy named Helmers, or even a few madams in Stilwater. It was now time to get Z's business back up and running and to do that, he needed some women to pimp out.

In various parts of Espina and Rosen Oaks, some prostitutes were seen with some members of the Morningstar. Vince went ahead and yelled at them to go with him, causing some problems with the Morningstar to go after him. Vince put the pedal to the metal because the Morningstar soldiers were relentless in all of this, just like how rival gangs in the past were, like the Vice Kings, Westside Rollerz, and the Carnales, as well as the Ronin and the Brotherhood.

But it was nothing he couldn't handle. As long as he could get the girls to Zimos's pad before anything else escalated, things were fine. Even then, there were moments a limousine would have Morningstar members snatch up any of the sex workers. With those women being full of potential for Z's business, as well as the Saints as a whole, the more women, the better.

The Boss went up to the apartment to see if Zimos was there. It turned out he was, except he was all dressed up in his pimp gear.

"Hey, Z, I got all the girls you wanted," the Boss said as he brought in the last set of women and had them wait in the garage/car wash area.

Zimos walked a little closer to the Boss. _"Hey, baby, maybe you can help me out?"_

"Baby?" the Boss said so confusedly.

 _"I need some help gettin' my trade going, you know? Gettin' the word out,"_ Zimos said.

"I'm not standing on a corner flicking cards if that's what you're thinking," the Boss said.

 _"I got people to do that for you,"_ Zimos said. _"Just need help deliverin' the advertisements to them."_

"I mean, I guess…," the Boss said, not knowing what to say about that.

 _"Good, let's go and we can roll these out,"_ Zimos said. _"I'll drive this time. You just watch my back, playa."_

With Zimos now having a lot of women that could be of some use for his business, now the only thing that needed to be done was spreading the word. It was now evening. Zimos was now dressed and ready to do some more business. He was prepared to get everything back on track.

But like earlier, the Morningstar was now ready to strike back. After having been stripped of their contractors for their prostitution ring, it would only be natural for them to fight back.

The Boss had some firepower on him, but he could only use so much to take them down. It was just to protect Zimos. It happened with Pierce when he was having people distribute the Saints' merchandise in downtown, it was happening here in New Colvin. It would almost seem that someone higher up, like close to the ranks of the DeWynter twins.

However, the two had a lot of sets of flyers to distribute. All that was necessary was just to get the word out, that's all. But the Morningstar didn't like this, as they went at Zimos and Vince hard, but after going around town, the two managed to get out alive, even after all the hell they went through. It didn't help that they had brutes and snipers shooting from the helicopters up above as well. The two were rather lucky to be alive. Even the Boss and Pierce went through hell like that before. Hell, the Boss even went through stuff like that with drug traffickers trying to sell stuff in Stilwater in the past.

Zimos drove his Churchill back to his place with the Boss riding shotgun. The two even engaged in some random conversations, like asking each other what their real names were, and Vince was not ready to share his real name yet. He even told Zimos that Stilwater could have used a man like him. The madams that the Boss worked with were competent enough, but that guy Helmers wasn't. It seemed that Zimos was competent enough to protect his ladies.

The two sat in the car, taking a major breather after what they just went through, but the Boss looked over at Zimos, who was still at the wheel.

"Hey, Z, now that you're back in business, we can focus on the Morningstar," the Boss said.

 _"You need to slow down, baby,"_ Zimos said.

"No time," the Boss said.

 _"I could use a driver to drive around some of my bitches, if you know what I'm sayin',"_ Zimos said.

"Uh, maybe I can get some of our people to do that," the Boss said. "Shit, if your ladies and some clients want to fuck, they can handle their shit at brothels and hotels. I don't need to have them fuck in the backseat while I drive. I've been through enough of that before."

 _"We can get some of our people to handle that shit,"_ Zimos said. _"Look, come into the palace of Zimos. Got somethin' here to show you."_

"What for?" the Boss said.

 _"I been helpin' you out, right? Humor me,"_ Zimos said.

"Fine, I'll do it," the Boss said in a begrudging tone, and they both got out of the pimpmobile to head inside the pad.

Zimos led the way to get to the apartment. The two went up the stairs and went into the apartment, as Zimos opened the door.

 _"Check this out, Playa,"_ Zimos said as he pointed right towards a painting on top of his fireplace. The painting was that of nine images of Zimos in different color patterns, similar to the style of the late Andy Warhol. Not to mention one of Zimos's ladies lying on the couch asleep.

The Boss got closer and looked at it with a confused expression. "That is one ugly fucking painting."

Zimos turned towards the Boss and said, _"You fucking philistine! What you know about art? That's a DeWynter sisters original! Bought that back in the day when me and the twins were all 'live and let live.'"_

"Well, seeing as how we just let them know we're taking over their business, I doubt that deal's going to hold," the Boss said.

 _"Shee-it, remember the pony show?"_ Zimos said. _"I been off their Christmas list a long time. Anyway, I didn't bring you up here to talk about me." Zimos picked up a bottle of an alcoholic drink from the coffee table. "You helped me bring back my business and showed the Morningstar that you're here to stay. Time to relax and cut loose, baby!"_

Zimos took a swig of his drink.

"Well we'll party once the work's done," the Boss said. "I'll call you when I make another move against the Morningstar."

 _"Hold on, playa,"_ Zimos said. _"I may need to give you some deets about some people in the area. Maybe you can take out this motherfucker named Andre, one of the Morningstar's pimps. I know we didn't take all of their bitches, so maybe you can find a way to get their attention."_

"Oh, I have my ways," the Boss said. "By the way, what happened between you and those twins?"

 _"That's need to know, and you don't,"_ Zimos said.

"Um, okay then, I'll call you when I find something," the Boss said and then took off. He had a long day. The training with Angel will wait until tomorrow. Even though Zimos offered to let him crash there, he declined. He needed to prepare himself a bit.

* * *

**MEANWHILE…**

Inside a condominium somewhere, with a very nice layout and artwork all around, as well as pictures of the two, Kiki and Viola sat around and did their thing. Viola sat on the couch and watched the news as there had been reports of some stuff going down in Salander with cars being blown up, as well as some stuff going down in Espina and other nearby districts with some prostitution wars, as Jane Valderamma and Tammy Toliver were getting the scoops on these two stories.

"What the hell?" Viola said as she sat up and looked at the TV, while Kiki yawned a bit as she sat on a chair near a table behind Viola.

"What's going on, Viola?" Kiki said.

"Looks like some shit went down in New Colvin," Viola said. "Something about prostitution wars."

"What are you talking about?" Kiki said.

Viola got up and approached her sister. "It seems like Zimos was trying to get his business back."

Kiki looked up at her sister the moment she heard that name. "What did you just say?"

"I said that Zimos was taking our girls," Viola said.

"But that's impossible, don't you think we would have been told by now?" Kiki said, until her phone rang, as the name Andre appeared on the screen. "I need to take this. Andre, what's up? So I've heard. It's just a hunch that my sister and I have. Listen, we'll find a way to take care of the Zimos problem or even the Saints for that matter. I know that you handle some of the prostitution as well. We'll fix the problem soon. Our business is not in jeopardy or anything like that. Yes, I know that doesn't look good for us, but we have some stuff to discuss soon. By the way, why did it take so long for you or any of the others to tell us? Hey, you should tell us first before you tell Barry anything. We are mostly in charge of the prostitution and you are one of our top pimps in our business. Listen, we'll talk more about this later."

The call ended. Viola looked at Kiki, who had a displeased look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Viola said.

Kiki sighed. "Andre already knew about all of this and he barely told us about this just now. He went ahead and told Barry first."

"Are you fucking shitting me?!" Viola said.

"I'm just as mad as you are," Kiki said. "First Eddie finds ways to have Phillipe give him the okay to lead the Syndicate, then Barry assumes temporary control until Phillipe returns. Sure, we have some control, but we should be leading the Morningstar and the Syndicate. We've done a lot more than that asshole Barry has done."

"Yes, I know," Viola said. "What should we do?"

"Well, we need to show that we mean business," Kiki said. "But right now, we also need to find ways to take down the Saints, before this whole civil war thing starts within."

"But do you think Barry or Killbane know that we sort of helped them?" Viola said.

"I'm not afraid of those two," Kiki said. "Right now, we need to show who's really boss of our organization, at least for now."

"What about Zimos?" Viola said. "I'm starting to wonder if we went a little too far in that pony stuff just because he fucked you and wasn't sure if it was me or you."

"He is with the Saints, right?" Kiki said. "We'll figure out something."

Viola nodded her head. What separated her from her sister was that Kiki was a little more dominant. Not to say that she wasn't, but it seemed that Kiki knew how to deal with stuff. It was now time to show that they had the right to run things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was it for this one. I made this one a bit shorter. I didn't include the Escort bit for a reason, but just made somewhat of a reference.
> 
> Like in the previous chapter when it had that bit with Matt, I decided to have a bit with the twins. And yes, I made a reference over the bit of why they have beef with Zimos.
> 
> Next up, training with Angel! Stay tuned.


	16. Face Your Fear

It was now morning and the sun rose over Sunset Park in Steelport. Vince woke up after a long day when he went to help out Kinzie with her hacking and gathering information, even when she went out to find better signals in other areas. The other thing he did was help Zimos out with trying to get his prostitution business back in order. However, there was one more thing he needed to do.

Vince got up and took a shower to get himself ready for the day. Though Angel said that he would train him for some reason, Vince still wanted to clean himself up after all of what he went through the previous day. Whether it was from perspiration or having someone's blood spray on him if he had to shoot someone, he felt the need to clean himself up.

He was the one of the only people left in the penthouse at that moment. It was only about 7 in the morning, but everyone went out to do their own thing. Johnny went to go look for some more Morningstar guys to maybe kill. Pierce was out trying to make deals with people, even at that time of the day, probably going to Planet Saints and other stores like Leather & Lace, Nobody Loves Me, and Let's Pretend to have them sell some Saints merchandise, at least before they opened. There was one other person there, however.

Vince put on a purple Stilwater Skeeters shirt and some black pants. It may not have seemed like workout clothes, but it wasn't like he never worked out in just casual clothes. Besides, the penthouse had a gym, so he, along with Johnny, Pierce, and Shaundi could just work out in there when necessary.

"Hey, Vince," a female voice said as the Boss approached the elevator to head to the garage below. He looked up and saw that Shaundi was still there.

"Shaundi, what are you doing here?" Vince said. "Shouldn't you be out trying to look for some more information on any of the Syndicate gangs?"

"I am going out there in a bit, but I want to work out first, the question is where are _you_ going?" Shaundi said, as she happened to be wearing a purple sports bra and tight black shorts.

Vince looked at the way she was dressed in that moment, with the shorts and training bra fitting her in such a way that went with her form. Though he had seen her in such gear before, multiple times at that, in that moment he had a flashback to the time he met up with her at a gym and she was on a treadmill, except he wasn't working out but rather waiting for her to finish. That was years prior, but right then, he had to keep his head in line.

"I have some things I got to go do," Vince said. "I promised Angel I would go by so that he could help train me and maybe some of the rest of us to take on the Luchadores."

"Are you serious?" Shaundi said.

"Yes, I am, why do you ask?" Vince said.

"I just wonder about the training he'll have you do," Shaundi said. "I mean you can work out here."

"I don't think it's that kind of training," Vince said. "It's something to do with facing fear or trying to be prepared to face the Luchadores. I am not sure what he wants me to do, as I had flown through an airplane and been through hails of gunfire more times than I can count. I just need to see what he needs me to do. I can handle what he can throw at me."

"I hope you know what you're doing, I'll hit you up later," Shaundi said.

Vince signaled to her and went into the elevator to head down the garage area. He got out his phone and made the call right then. It only took one ring before it got through.

 _"Hey, glad you called,"_ Angel said. _"If you're going to be taking on the Luchadores, you need to be ready."_

"I'm always ready for a fight," Vince said.

 _"I'll be the judge of that,"_ Angel said.

"I think I can handle myself, I mean I've been through a lot of shit," Vince said.

 _"Come to my gym and we'll see,"_ Angel said.

"Okay, then, see you in a bit," Vince said and hung up. He went right for his Neuron and took off to head out to Bridgeport. He wondered what Angel had planned for him.

* * *

The Boss arrived to Bridgeport. It was day and what was weird was how in the daytime, Steelport had a different feel than how it looks at night, at least depending on where you are in the city. For example, Loren Square had more of a lively feel at night with all of the lights on the buildings. Then again, had anyone seen a city with multiple industrial areas that were mixed with suburban areas?

Vince got out of his Neuron and parked in a faded parking space in the parking lot of Angel's Gym, likely used for any people there to gamble when it operated as a casino, as well as any students Angel trained at one point.

He headed for the front door and went straight for the main area with "Eye of the Tiger" from Survivor blaring on the speakers and then led into "You're the Best Around" from Joe Esposito. Angel was going to town on a punching bag, while Vince walked in and was about to lean on one of those martial arts padded dummies, except that when he tried, he knocked it over, as well as himself, drawing attention to Angel in that very moment.

The Boss was on his hands and knees, getting himself up from that mistake he made. "God damn, why are you living in this shithole?"

After he got up, Angel approached him. "To remind me of what Killbane took from me. It keeps me focused."

"Whatever works for you, man," Vince said. "I'm just saying I like my place to have some working heat."

"So you hate discomfort," Angel said. "That's the sort of weakness the Luchadores will capitalize on. Unless you harden up, Killbane will crush you. But don't worry, I'll chisel you out of diamond."

"How?" Vince said. "I have dealt with a lot of shit in my time."

"By making you experience the worst pain imaginable," Angel said. "Now come on, it's time for you to play in traffic."

Angel started to walk away.

"Right on, wait, what?" Vince said. "Hold up, what do you mean by 'worst pain imaginable'? I have been shot and stabbed. I have faced some tough guys with my fists as well. What makes you sure that this will help?"

"How often have you only used your fists to take on your enemies?" Angel said.

"I have done it a lot," Vince said. "But I have seen the type of heat that those guys pack. Are you sure that this will help?"

Angel turned around and said, "The point here is to see how much you can take, but with you hating discomfort, some will use that against you. Besides, it's not about how hard you can hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep going forward."

"Hold up, I know I've gotten used to staying in posh hotels and penthouses, but it wasn't always like that for me," Vince said.

"How long has it been, then?" Angel said. "I just want to see what you're made of and to see if you got it all to face the Luchadores, at least head on. Now come on, let's see you try to dodge traffic."

Angel guided Vince out into the street in front of the abandoned casino/gym.

"If you can dodge traffic, you can dodge anything the Luchadores throw at you, and that includes their grenades and bullets," Angel said. "Let's see what you got."

The Boss saw that the roads had started to become a bit busier than before. If it was earlier in the morning, traffic would be even worse as many people would be on their way to work. He looked around and saw a Voxel driving pretty fast. He wanted to show Angel that he was fearless and this was the way. He ran as the Voxel got closer and jumped right in front of the car barely dodging it. However, a garbage truck was getting closer and Vince barely got up and got out of the way. He continued to do this to show that playing in traffic was really no issue, as he had been close to being run over many times.

The Boss even ran around in busy streets like he was out jogging and even caused cars to swerve on the road a few times. Angel followed him wherever he went and looked on and was impressed, but at the same time felt that this may have been too easy.

After the tests were done, Vince ran to Angel, who stood right against a building.

"How'd I do?" the Boss said.

"Not bad, this was only the beginning, though," Angel said. "You ready for the next test?"

"'Ready' is an interesting term," Vince said.

"I want you to go out and experience the heat that a fight with Killbane would bring," Angel said. "I want you put on a fire suit and try to withstand the burning sensation it brings."

"Can't we do this metaphorically?"

"No," Angel said rather quickly.

"How do you want me to do this?" Vince said.

"Exactly how it would sound, you need to withstand the burning to feel it," Angel said.

"Okay, I'll do it," Vince said with so much reluctance in his voice.

* * *

An hour had passed. Vince had made some calls to any fellow Saints, including Johnny, as well as Aimee, Rocco, and Dave to come and join in on this experiment.

They all set out to head to an open area on Carver Island. The perfect place to do this was close to some railroad tracks. For all of the stuff the Saints had endured, even they believe that there was some insanity involved here. The Boss even had lit stuff on fire while in a fire suit, but this experiment was mainly so that he could endure the pain of being burned.

Johnny and the other Saints, along with Angel stood before Vince, who wore the fire suit.

"Shit, Boss, this is some crazy shit we're going to do to you," Johnny said.

"Don't remind me," Vince said under the suit.

"Don't sweat it, I have seen all of the shit you've been through, this should be a piece of cake," Johnny said. "I brought my old flamethrower just in case."

Aimee even looked at her leader like this. "I know I have jumped out of planes and surfed cars. I've done some insane shit, but I have never seen anything like this."

"Hey, being that you live for that crazy shit, let me know if you would like to do this," Vince said.

"Well, let me know how it feels," Aimee said.

Rocco and the others picked up some bottles and made Molotov cocktails out of them. Vince stood there in the suit as everyone stood in preparation for this.

"Okay, everyone," Angel said. "Now!"

The fellow Saints threw their Molotov cocktails, and Johnny emitted a flame from his flamethrower. Flames went up on the Boss as he stood there and watched himself burn, even if his suit was flame retardant. The flame from Johnny's thrower kept coming at him. This went on for a few minutes. Everyone stood there as they saw their leader burn.

"Are you alright?" Rocco said.

"I'm fine, let me have another," Vince said.

Johnny shot more flames and a few of the others had lit up some more Molotov cocktails. That was only the second round and then came the third and final round and the process was repeated. Angel got a fire extinguisher and put out the fire that surrounded Vince. They gave him a few minutes before the area cooled down a bit from all of the heat.

Vince took off the helmet of the suit. "Man, that was hot."

"Jeez, Boss," Johnny said. "Remind me to set the AC at the crib later."

"I think I will need a cold shower or at least take a dip in the pool and hope that the water is cold," Vince said as he took off the fire suit.

Aimee added, "I think I will hold off on trying this, at least sometime soon."

Vince got out of his suit and fell a bit. Everyone approached him.

"Don't worry, I'm okay," Vince said. "Man, being burned is no fucking joke."

Angel approached him and helped him up. "Are you ready for the last test?"

Vince took a deep breath. "You have a funny definition of training, Angel."

"Training is training, no matter how you do it," Angel said. "There's a car waiting for you. Head to it."

"I've already played in traffic, remember?" Vince said.

"This time, all I want you to do is drive around," Angel said.

"That's it? What's that going to teach me?" Vince said.

"To master your fear," Angel said.

"Then this should be no problem," Vince said.

All of the other Saints looked at Angel like he may be crazy a bit. Something told them that with their leader being burned like that, it seemed that there may be something up the team's trainer's sleeve or maybe Angel just was a bit nuts, maybe even crazier than their leader or Johnny. Though they all need to find a way to face the rest of the Syndicate, there had to be other ways than going through that kind of training regimen.

Angel led Vince to his Bootlegger, while the rest of them looked on with so much confusion. They were relieved that their leader didn't get burned alive thanks to the suit. Sure, it's been said that no one should display cowardice when taking part in gang activity, but what they just witnessed had less to do with fear but more like thinking that Angel may have been out of his mind.

Angel got into the driver's seat, while Vince sat in the passenger's seat. No words were exchanged, just Angel driving Vince to a car that was waiting to be driven.

They arrived in New Baranec, where a Justice was parked in front of a loading dock.

"So all I got to do is drive around?" Vince said.

"That's what I said," Angel said. "After you enduring the traffic and being burned, it's time you become friendly with fear."

Vince looked at Angel like he wondered what he wanted him to do. There's a difference between bravery and stupidity, as well as being brave and just being crazy. But nonetheless, if this would help him take on the Luchadores, who pulled no punches with their firepower, it made him wonder how they would do in hand-to-hand combat.

"Okay, I'll do it," Vince said and got out of the car.

As Vince approached the car, it wasn't long until Angel got out of there and headed back for his gym. The Boss opened the door and got in and started it up, only to see something he did not expect to see right beside him.

"HE PUT A TIGER IN THE CAR!" Vince said out loud. "Angel and I need to have a little chat soon!"

If that wasn't bad enough, some vans approached him that looked to be part of animal control. Vince put the pedal to the metal to try to see if he could find a way to make the tiger not act up, as well as evade animal control. It was hard for him to do this, but he had to whatever he could. He had to avoid animal control, as well as try to make sure the tiger calms down. So he drove around in areas like Bridgeport, Port Pryor, and even crossed the bridge into Sunset Park.

Vince managed to find a way to avoid animal control, as well as calm the tiger down. It was now time to let Angel know he passed the final test. He got his phone and called Angel. The call went through.

 _"Hello,"_ Angel said.

"Angel, where are you?" Vince said.

 _"I see you made it through my final test,"_ Angel said.

"Answer my question," Vince said with a bit of anger in his voice.

 _"At the gym training,"_ Angel said.

" _Don't_ move," Vince said with even more anger in his voice. "I'll be right there."

The Boss drove the Justice back to Bridgeport to head to Angel's Gym. He was not in the least bit pleased about what he put him through. Though Vince had little fear, sometimes things knew their limits and what he went through that morning as among them. The tiger fell asleep as he drove to the place. Unbeknownst to him, an animal control van followed him to the abandoned casino. As soon as Vince parked the car, the van pulled up behind it and went right for the tiger. Vince looked back and just shrugged it off. He didn't care if they took the tiger.

Vince barged into the gym/casino and quickly walked up the stairs, only to see Angel jumping off a wooden post set up like a turnbuckle in a wrestling ring that was used on that platform, which was also set up like a wrestling ring. He jumped off and delivered a top rope elbow drop onto a padded dummy and rolled away to get up.

"A fucking tiger?" Vince said as he got closer.

Angel looked up and saw Vince. "If you're going to fight the Luchadores, you need to be ready for anything."

"A FUCKING TIGER?!" Vince yelled.

"Don't lose the message in the method," Angel said. "You mastered your fear."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Vince said. "I know I've done some crazy shit, but playing in traffic like that, getting burned with a fire suit, maybe in some ways, but driving a car with a tiger? Never in my life have I thought I would do something like that. Shit, I was in a fire suit getting burned for more than a few minutes!"

"You're ready to face Killbane, but the Luchadores must still be dealt with," Angel said. "You know where to find me if you need more training."

Angel started to punch the downed padded dummy.

"I'll give that some thought, but as long as you're showing me some moves or chopping wood or carrying wood on my back, that would be fine for me," Vince said. "I need to rest a bit right now."

"Okay, but call me when you need more training," Angel said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I will," Vince said with some sarcasm in his voice.

As soon as Vince left Angel's Gym, he received a call from Shaundi. "Hello?"

"Boss, Vince, what happened?" Shaundi said.

"Nothing, just need to get some rest," Vince said.

"Johnny filled me and Pierce in on what kind of training you went through," Shaundi said.

"I'll be fine," Vince said. "I just need to take a cold shower or take a nap."

"That might help, but maybe we should all look at you," Shaundi said. "I heard that you got burned."

"Like I said, I need some fucking rest," Vince said.

"Look, come back to the crib," Shaundi said. "We need to have a look at you. We're worried."

"I'll be there in a bit," Vince said.

* * *

**MEANWHILE…**

Inside a special suite at the 3 Count Casino, Eddie Pryor, who preferred to be called Killbane as that he was known for in the ring and outside of it, lied in a bed with two attractive women. One was blonde and was named Ashley. The other had auburn hair and was referred to as Becky. The two women slept on both sides of Killbane's tall and muscular frame. All three people were naked under the covers and it was clear what went on the night before.

This suite was definitely a personalized room for this man, as there were green, pink, and red patterns on the walls. There were even skulls of Dia de los Muertos, as well as Mexican serpents on the walls.

Killbane got up and was without his mask, but not a lot of people knew what he looked like without it, except for the two women, as well as anybody else closest to him. He got up from the bed and put on some pants and went straight for his phone. He had gotten some messages. One was from a woman named Whitney, which the message read something along the lines of meeting for the upcoming Murderbrawl event that was coming up in a couple months. It seemed that Whitney was a publicist of Killbane's.

However, more messages came up from fellow Luchadores, like El Jose, Almonzo, as well as Alonzo, Nacho, Reggie, Casey, and Leroy. Even some from female members like one prominent member named Seductive Sol, and others. But it seemed that El Jose had more messages to let Killbane know, as it said for him to call him. For him to get this many messages, something really must have been urgent.

Killbane reached for his phone and called El Jose, who was one of his top specialists/muscle in his crew.

"El Jose, what's going on?" Killbane said. "I'm a bit busy right now. Wait, what? You're fucking kidding me, right? So basically that washed-up has-been is trying to train that Saints clown? That same guy who tries to sell those energy drinks and endorsing all of those stores and stuff? I'm not going to underestimate him, which was why we tried to kill him on the bridge last night, but we know we can handle them. Besides, there is nowhere for them to run and hide when we all got everyone on our side. Matt has his Deckers, even though his top girls handle the killing. Barry's got the Morningstar to do his bidding. We'll take those fuckers out soon enough."

Killbane paused a bit and then continued talking. "Look, if that has-been Angel is trying to train the Saints leader to way he trained me, he better be ready because I have trained all of you with the best. Whether it's with guns or the art of the apoco-fist, we can't be stopped. Besides, Angel trained me, but I also trained you guys. We'll fuck them up soon. Talk to you later."

"Eddie, come back," Ashley said.

"Yeah, don't you want some more?" Becky said.

Killbane, still without his mask, looked over at the two ladies in the bed and said, "Not right now, I got some work to do. But I must ask you two ladies something. Do you want to help us take down the Saints?"

"Oh sure," Ashley said.

Becky added, "I thought you'd never ask."

"Well then, we'll talk more about this after we finish getting ready for the day," Killbane said with an evil grin on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, that's it for this one. Let me explain a few things. Those two women that Killbane was with at the end, I will note that there was some artwork for an advertisement regarding the Luchadores that had two women in it. Being that the Luchadores in the game was all-male, I wanted to have female members in my story and these two women, I wanted to make characters out of the ones seen in that artwork.
> 
> As for their names, they're references to the wrestlers, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. FYI, Charlotte's real name is Ashley Fliehr, so you can see how she was a reference. Seductive Sol is kind of a reference to Sexy Star, and "sol" is Spanish for "sun."
> 
> As for the training, I know in the game, there was Insurance Fraud and Trail-Blazing, but I wanted to change it up because one, there's no way to make Insurance Fraud seem realistic the way it was done in the game, as there is also no way to endure that kind of punishment and live from it. As for the fire bit, I wanted to make my own spin on that.
> 
> I will do the next one soon, but I have to brainstorm it first. Whether I do Trojan Whores or something new before it, you'll see. Stay tuned.


	17. Morningstar Crisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another interlude, but this will talk more about the issues within the Syndicate and the Morningstar. The Saints will be featured, but I wanted to do something like this. Enjoy!

Ever since Phillpe Loren took off to go handle business deals overseas, the Syndicate was left to Killbane to lead the war against the Saints, who had decided to stay in Steelport to take the fight to them.

Kiki and Viola DeWynter were the right-hands to Loren, as they handled a lot of the business side of things, as well as the prostitution in Steelport. Though there were pimps that will handle matters in various parts of the city, the twins were the ones on top of the food chain in regards to the business. Sex workers usually had to answer to the pimp handling matters in certain districts, while the pimps had to answer to the twins.

However, ever since Killbane took over the leadership in the fight against the Saints, the twins have had their own issues surrounding the Morningstar. Although Loren was still the head boss of the Syndicate, for the time being Killbane wanted to lead the fight against the Saints, as the only thing on his mind was just putting them in the ground and felt that they should do it at any cost, much to the chagrin of Viola and Kiki.

Since the destruction of the Syndicate Tower, most of the meetings were held at either the Luchadores Tower, the 3 Count Casino, as well as Safeword and sometimes at the Burns Hill power plant, where the Deckers run things. It wasn't the same without the Syndicate Tower, but some of those places worked regardless.

One day, Kiki and Viola decided to sit down and have a chat with Phillipe about the current leadership of the Morningstar, as well as the Syndicate. They had their laptop set up in their condo and put it on their coffee table. The twins sat on their couch and waited for the video chat program to connect. Just then, Phillipe appeared on the monitor screen.

 _"Hello, ladies, how are you two doing?"_ Phillipe said. On the video feed, he put a cigarette to his mouth and lit it.

Viola sighed. "Not so good."

Kiki added, "We've been having some problems with the Saints lately. They've become more of a problem."

"We will handle matters, but that is not why we wanted to talk to you," Viola said.

 _"What's the problem, Viola and Kiki?"_ Phillipe said. _"I promise you that when I return, we will take care of the Saints. I know what they're made of, but we have a lot more resources than they do. But what is it you want to talk about?"_

Kiki sighed this time around. "What I want to talk about is why Barry instead of us to lead the Morningstar?"

 _"Also, why Killbane to lead the Syndicate?"_ Kiki said. _"You know that we are the rightful heirs to the throne in case you were to pass on or if you had to be away for a bit."_

On the video feed, Phillipe took a puff of his cigarette and blew the smoke out. _"Ladies, with all due respect and I really mean this, but Mr. Killbane came to me and told me about what happened to our tower. He told me that he wants to lead all of us, whether it's his Luchadores, Mr. Miller's Deckers, as well as the Morningstar in the battle against the Saints. I mean this with so much respect for both of you, but I don't want to see you two get hurt and wanted you two to handle the business. Whether it was with the human-trafficking and prostitution, or even the arms-trafficking and deals, you two are the brains and you can handle things on that end."_

Phillipe continued to smoke until he put out the cigarette on an ashtray that was sitting on a nightstand in the room he was sitting in. _"As for Barry, well he believes that he can lead our own organization in the fight against them. Just remember, you two are actually equal with him, but he is handling some of the problems with the Saints and some of the arms-dealing. He told me that he has a plan."_

The sisters looked at each other with a touch of confusion. Something about this didn't seem plausible to them. They even thought that someone like Mr. Dickson, who while was rather arrogant, he seemed that he was a better pick for some leadership or at least being in charge for some of the business. But to them, it seemed that Barry had more up his sleeve, like he had a plan to take over.

Phillipe continued, _"Listen to me, I know you two have what it takes to lead our organization, but after seeing what the Saints have done, the last thing I want to see is the two of you getting caught in the crossfire. When I return, if we're not rid of the Saints problem by then, then we will all talk about what we could do about them. Besides, Steelport is ours. We have the entire police force under our thumbs, we have the mayor on our payroll. The Saints may have hurt us, but they won't get too far. I don't want you to think that you don't have what it takes to lead our organization, but after what the Saints leader did, when they took our penthouse and blew up the tower, I knew that he was a dangerous man, but the Saints are outnumbered. They may have taken down gangs in Stilwater, as well as Ultor's Masako team, but we have a lot more resources than those gangs did."_

Viola and Kiki nodded their heads after hearing what their boss and mentor said. Even though they didn't like that Phillipe had Killbane lead the Syndicate, it showed that he respected and cared about the sisters enough that he didn't want to see them get hurt. However, it didn't help that Barry acted like he was above them, even though the sisters were on equal ground.

 _"I will talk to you two soon, ta ta, ladies,"_ Phillipe said and the video feed went out.

Kiki sat there with a blank stare, while Viola looked down and then looked directly at her sister.

"Kiki, what's wrong?" Viola said.

"There's just something wrong about all of this," Kiki said. "I know that Phillipe doesn't want us to get hurt in this war, but we have handled ourselves in some business deals gone wrong. Phillipe would rather plan for us to take down our competition, while Eddie believes in going in and blowing shit up. At least Matt just handles his own shit while his girls lead the gang in combat."

"You know what I think? I think Barry is trying to take over," Viola said. "I know he is one of our higher-ranking businessmen and leaders, but something about him rubs me the wrong way. I mean Mr. Dickson may be arrogant and stuff, but at least he has a good grasp on what it takes to handle business, whether it's actual business or even some heavier shit."

A buzzing sound occurred. Both ladies had their smartphones in front of them and each of them got a new message. They both picked up their phones at the same time and opened the message as it read:

_You two come to my office right now._

The message was from Barry, as it seemed that he didn't want to call them. He needed to have a face-to-face meeting with the twins. They wondered what he wanted.

* * *

Both of the ladies took off to Loren Square where Barry had his base of operations located. It was in a skyscraper that was close to one of those tall skyscrapers with the large screens and garish lights that light up at night. They got to the building in their Temptress and a valet parked their car. Both ladies wondered what this man wanted from them.

They went to the front desk.

"Excuse me, we're here to see Barry, is he in his office?" Viola said.

The receptionist, who was a woman, looked up at the two sisters. "Oh, Ms. DeWynter and Ms. DeWynter, yes, Mr. Pushkin is expecting you. He's up in his office as we speak."

Both sisters headed to the elevator and went up to the floor where Barry's office was. They got to the floor. The hallway had the same Morningstar color scheme of red and pink, as well as some black on the walls. They went down and saw two men standing in both sides of the door. Both were dressed similarly, as they had black suits with red shirts and pink ties. However, one of them had sunglasses on and his name was Gus. The other who didn't have sunglasses was named Victor.

"Hello, ladies, is Barry expecting you?" Gus said.

"Shut up, Gus," Kiki said. "Don't tell me Barry is having you and Victor as his hired goons. You know we're here to see him."

"Right this way," Victor said and opened the door.

The sisters entered the office, which had patterns of pink, black, and red stars, as well as the same type of color scheme on the paint.

"You wanted to see us, Barry?" Viola said.

The two ladies stood before a desk facing the back of a chair with the window overlooking a part of downtown Steelport.

The chair spun around and Barry, a man of Russian and French descent sat before the twins, with a black suit and red shirt that had a pink star on it. "Yes, I wanted to see you two ladies. There's something that I saw that may be of some interest. First I want you two to have a seat."

The twins sat down in the chairs right in front of Barry.

"You see, ladies," Barry said. "The other night, when we had that meeting with Phillipe through video-chat, as well as Matt and Killbane, Phillipe said that the body of Johnny Gat wasn't found in the explosion, in fact, it was said that he was freed. But I think there was one thing you _didn't_ suspect."

Barry turned the computer monitor on the desk. On the screen was some footage of the sisters untying Johnny and delivering his clothes, inside the torture chamber, no less.

The eyes of both twins widened, like how could there have been some footage when they were certain that they killed the camera that was facing that exact room where Johnny Gat was being tortured.

"Where did you get that?!" Kiki said.

"Let's just say that I have my ways," Barry said in a devious tone. "I know you two ladies were suspicious about me leading the fight against the Saints. Phillipe declared us equals while you handled all of your whores and gimps, but I really wonder what's going to happen if, or _when_ he finds out his two main assistants helped out the enemy."

"You had a fucking hidden camera in there?!" Viola said.

"Hey, I sometimes like to see people get tortured, it relaxes me," Barry said as he reclined in his chair. "The question on my mind is why did you help that guy out? I heard that he is one vicious motherfucker with one hell of a body count. If we killed him, we would have done the world a favor."

The twins sat there in silence. They both knew why they helped Johnny out of there. Even though this guy was a well-known killer, he likely had given it up when the Saints had gone legit with their endorsements and such. Though they had seen a lot of violence, torturing someone was pushing it in their case, especially with how brutal the Luchadores can be.

"I know what you're thinking," Barry said. "Don't worry, Phillipe doesn't know about this…yet. If you don't want this to go to him or even Killbane, I suggest you let me not only handle the Saints, but also your business."

"Wait, what?" Viola said. "But Kiki and I have been handling the business for years."

"I didn't say you won't handle it, but I think maybe you two should probably get smaller cut and the rest can go to me," Barry said. "It could be worse, I could have you two working the corners."

The glares on both of the sisters' faces grew more intense. It was clear that they did not like Barry, but it finally dawned on them that this guy had it in for them for a while, enough to resort to blackmail.

"Listen, we don't need this," Kiki said. "We're leaving."

Kiki and Viola got up from their chairs.

"Hold on, just a second," Barry said. "The deal is that you two have to be my assistants like you two are to Phillipe and give me a bigger cut in the business."

Kiki looked to Barry with a scowl on her face. "Unlike you, Phillipe looks at us as his equals. You have been sucking up to him for a long time. Shit, Barry, even Mr. Dickson would have been a much better leader than you."

"Mr. Dickson thinks he knows it all," Barry said. "But I have a better understanding of how shit works around here. Just know one thing, if you and Viola even so much as try anything funny, not only will the video be sent out, I may get Lillian, Zoey, and Clara to punish you, or worse, have Killbane send Seductive Sol and the other Luchadoras on you. Maybe even Grace and Kirsten will make an example out of you, because those two don't fuck around when it comes to defending the Deckers' businesses. Maybe I'll send some others on you. You got that?"

The twins looked at each other and looked down to the floor with utter disbelief at what this man was putting them through. They reluctantly nodded their heads.

"Yes, Barry," Viola said, as she sounded like she was about to cry, while Kiki looked at her with a lot of concern.

"Good, I'm glad we can do business together," Barry said. "You two may go now."

The two sisters left the office, as Gus and Victor stood there like typical bodyguards without even an ounce of thought of what just went on in the office, as it was likely soundproof.

Viola looked at the ground while Kiki walked alongside her as they headed towards the elevator. The elevator door soon opened and they both entered

"Sister, what's wrong?" Kiki said.

"You know what's wrong," Viola said with her voice cracking a bit.

"Listen, we'll get through this," Kiki said. "Barry thinks he has Phillipe wrapped around his finger, but I think we can find a way to get back at him."

"How do we do that?" Viola said.

"I'll think of something, _we'll_ think of something," Kiki said. "Things will be okay, sis."

Viola nodded her head. "Just got to think positive."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Saints HQ, not a lot was going down that day. Vince needed to have a rest after the intense training he did with Angel the previous day. He lied in bed all by his lonesome while everyone else went to go do their own thing. He reached for the remote control and turned on the TV.

After the TV turned on, he went through the DVR to find recordings of "Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax," as well as a recording of "The Bukkake Ninja." He wasn't sure what to watch, even though he had seen "The Bukkake Ninja" before, but he was really curious about that game show, as the idea of murdering mascots on TV just seemed so surreal to him, but he did have an interest in participating in that show.

He guided the remote to one of the recordings of that game show, until he had received a message on his phone.

 _What the fuck?_ Vince thought. He picked it up and opened it up. The number was unknown, but lately he had been getting emails and text messages, as well as phone calls from people who put out contracts on others, as well as tips on where to find cars they want stolen. But this person seemed new, as the message said it was from a man named Rasputin.

The message read that he was a high-ranking member of the Morningstar but "had reasons for wanting to embarrass their current leadership," as well as said that he had a few contracts in mind, but wanted to start from the bottom. The contract he had was that of a garbage man named Jake Piper. The message read that if anybody impresses him with his work, he'll provide more of the contracts on his list.

Vince lied there and wondered if he should take this. Though the Morningstar was the enemy, it wasn't like he didn't take contracts like this if the pay wasn't good and once he was given a job, he mostly saw it through. It didn't matter if it was a man or woman, he was a man of his work. Even Zimos, Angel, and Kinzie talked to him about taking out people, but he hadn't gotten around to doing it yet.

But could this man be trusted? There was only one way to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this one. I wanted to touch on the twins' perspectives on their issue with how things were going in the organization. I will do more with that, but I won't spoil it.
> 
> Regarding the assassination bits, I may do chapters on them, but I might do them differently than how they're presented in the game. Just wait.
> 
> One more thing, regarding the word "luchadoras," I did not misspell it. Luchadora is the term for female wrestler in Spanish.


	18. Time to Strike Back

It was now evening in Loren Square. Killbane had called for a meeting among the leaders of the Syndicate. With Killbane taking control for the time being, at least in the attack on the Saints, he wanted to discuss a plan to bring down the Saints once and for all.

It hadn't been long since the Syndicate struck back against the Saints. Not long after the Syndicate Tower was destroyed, many meetings among the Syndicate were moved to the Luchadores Tower, but tonight, this meeting was called to the Burns Hill Reactors, as no one would suspect that anything would be going on at an abandoned nuclear power plant.

Killbane arrived with Ashley and Becky by his sides, along with El Jose and Seductive Sol, a prominent female member of the Luchadores. She had long blonde hair, but a black and green mask with a sun symbol at the top with pink and green stars at the sides. She had a fit build to her and was dressed in a black jacket and black slacks with a green top under it. She looked presentable, as did El Jose, whom despite wearing his mask with the Mohawk on it, he wore a suit. It was a meeting after all.

A blue and black Kayak had pulled up, with Chester and Raymond coming out of the car. Chester went to one of the doors to the backseat, as Matt had gotten out of the car.

Finally, a red and black limousine pulled up. Out came Barry, along with Mr. Dickson. It was definitely a business meeting for the Syndicate.

"Glad you're all here," Killbane said. "Let's go inside." He looked towards Matt. "Matt, lead us to the perfect spot for the meeting."

"Of course, Killbane," Matt said.

They were short of some other prominent figures of the Syndicate, as the DeWynter sisters didn't show up. One could wonder why. Either way, everyone went inside to get the meeting underway, as some of the other Deckers, Morningstar members, and Luchadores were outside to stand guard in case any Saints were to come and try anything funny, even though this power plant was up on a hill with almost nothing around it, as any residential homes, stores, or any sort of entertainment establishments were below.

Matt led the other Syndicate figures into the main area, which was at the bottom of one of the cooling towers. The area was decked out with neon blue lights and such. It definitely showed that this was one the Deckers' main headquarters, despite having their tower in Downtown. Then again, the Luchadores operated at the 3 Count Casino more than their tower.

Chairs were set up. Matt's mercenaries stood guard on the sides and a big screen was on the wall, as there was one person who they needed to involve in this meeting. Barry, Killbane, and Matt stood before any other representatives.

Matt turned on the screen, as Phillipe Loren appeared on the screen. It seemed like it was now morning wherever he was, but it was nighttime in Steelport.

 _"Hello, everyone,"_ Phillipe said on the screen. _"I'm glad that you all made it to this meeting. It seems that I called all of you to discuss our Saints problem."_

Matt, Killbane, and Barry looked up at the screen.

 _"Gentlemen, I heard about a little mishap involving the Richard Hughes Memorial Bridge,"_ Phillipe said. _"It seems that the Saints survived this. From what I was also told, they even invaded Safeword and taken some of our businesses from us."_

On the video feed, Phillipe looked around and noticed that certain key members were missing from this meeting.

 _"Speaking of which, where are Viola and Kiki?"_ Phillipe said.

Before Matt or Killbane could say anything, Barry cut in and said, "I'll take this. They have some problems of their own right now. I will let them know what's up later. But regarding the Saints, I think I have a way to trap them."

Matt cut in. "Excuse me, Mr. Loren, but maybe I should say something. I already know what the Saints are made of, but according to what I found, it seemed that some of the money being used for weapons, whether it's for the Deckers, the Morningstar, or even the Luchadores, was sent to third-world countries. I know that I helped take their money from their accounts, but did you forget that they also stole your lockboxes and took some of our deeds from under us. They're already becoming more of a problem."

"Allow me, Matty," Killbane cut in, as he towered over the rather small British hacker. "Phillipe, Matt may have a point in the business side of things, but from what I see, the Saints are just biding their time until they strike against us. Maybe we should just continue taking the fight to them. I know that they got some new people working with them, including that washed-up has-been Angel de la Muerte, but he is not shit. My people can take that guy out."

Through the video feed, Phillipe looked at the three men. He wasn't sure what to think about all of this.

_"Mr. Killbane, Mr. Miller, and Mr. Danko, I knew not to underestimate the Saints when they took my penthouse. I knew not to underestimate them when they took Powder. I definitely was one step ahead of them when they were set to kill me in the tower. I have done more of my homework, thanks to Mr. Miller giving me more information on the Saints. I remembered that some of the Morningstar was trying to work a deal with the Brotherhood of Stilwater, until the leader of the Saints and some others came in and messed everything up. Even though Mr. Danko is holding down the fort for the Morningstar right now, and Mr. Killbane is handling trying to bring down the Saints the way the Saints took down those other gangs in Stilwater, I am still the boss of the Syndicate."_

"When you will return, sir?" Matt said.

 _"Only time will tell, Mr. Miller,"_ Phillipe said. _"Besides, I have to make some other deal in another country soon."_

"One more thing, Mr. Loren," Matt said. "I have my ways of hurting the Saints' image. So let me handle that."

"I can have some of my men shoot up their penthouse suite," Killbane said. "They'll teach them a lesson."

"Wait, I have a plan," Barry said. "I think I know a way to take the fight to them. We have all our resources, remember? Remember, we're all in this together. The Saints are just a mere group."

 _"Good idea, Mr. Danko,"_ Phillipe said. _"What's your idea?"_

"Here's my idea, being that Andre's business is in trouble," Barry said. "It seems that Zimos is now running the prostitution in New Colvin. Matt here filled me in on how some of the Saints love the company of strippers. So I think I know a way to trap them."

 _"Hmmmm,"_ Phillipe said, while Matt and Killbane looked at him with confusion. They weren't sure if this was a good idea.

"Hey, they crashed the party at the penthouse they took from us," Barry said. "Now we return the favor."

 _"Okay, we just need to see when we can provide our solution to taking them out and taking back what is ours,"_ Phillipe said. _"Meeting adjourned. I will speak to all of you again soon."_

Everyone got up from their chairs. Matt, Barry, and Killbane all started to walk away. However, Barry wasn't done with his deal.

"Hey, Killbane, Matt," Barry said. "I need to show you guys something."

Killbane and Matt approached Barry, except Matt heard a ringing sound and got a text message from someone named Lucas. The message read "Call me ASAP."

"Oh, I got to make a call right now," Matt said. "Please fill me in on this later."

"Oh, come on, Matty, we need to see what Barry wants to show us," Killbane said. "It might be important."

"Now's not the time," Matt said. "I will speak to you two soon."

It must have been really important for Matt to take this call.

"Don't worry about Matt," Barry said. "I'll let him know sometime soon, but what you really should know is that we have some traitors in our organization."

"Really?" Killbane said. "Who is it?"

Barry got out his smartphone and went to the gallery and looked under video to show him a particular video. Killbane looked on.

"What the fuck is this shit?" Killbane said.

"It seems that the DeWynters helped out the enemy," Barry said.

"Well, in that case, we need to do something about it, won't we?" Killbane said in a sly tone as a smile grew on his face, as seen from his expression in eyes and on his mouth. "Looks like we have a little Judas problem in our hands right now. Does Phillipe know?"

"No, at least not yet," Barry said. "But he will soon."

An evil smile grew on Barry's face after he said that. It was clear that he really wanted to destroy the DeWynter sisters and now he was getting his wish.

* * *

Meanwhile, Matt was elsewhere in a hallway at the plant, as he was talking on his phone.

"Listen, Lucas, what did you find out about the Saints?" Matt said. "I see. Well, let us know when they plan to celebrate. We'll make our move when the time comes. Thank you for letting me know. I will tell the others soon. Bye."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this was a lot shorter than usual, but I plan to put in not just interludes, but also touch on the perspectives of other characters in the story to really give a grasp to the story.
> 
> Next up, the Saints throw a party. Stay tuned.


	19. Trojan Whores

It was just another day for Vince, the leader of the Saints. He had taken on some tasks from some contacts to either take out some people or to steal cars, as long as there was money involved. He even bought some more property to let the Syndicate know that the Saints were moving in on Steelport, as to him, it wouldn't hurt to have some power and influence in another city.

He was driving down Yearwood on Carver Island, which was Luchadores territory and strolled right by the Steelport Arena, where the marquee at the top was advertising the upcoming MurderBrawl event as tickets were still available. He pulled over as he had a message from Pierce that said:

_Hey, Z, Johnny, and I are thinking of throwing a party tonight. Call me up to see what's up._

Vince parked his car on the side of the road that was close to the arena and made the call.

 _"Hey, Boss, what's shakin'?"_ Pierce said.

"Pierce, you're going to throw a party? What's going on here?" Vince said.

 _"Hell yeah, why not throw a celebration after we took over all of Downtown Steelport? With all we been doing, it's only a matter of time until Steelport is ours,"_ Pierce said.

"Hold up, this is just so sudden," Vince said. "I'm all for a little celebration, but a party?"

 _"Oh, come on, Boss, live a little,"_ Pierce said. _"I mean we used to throw parties at our crib in Stilwater, right? What's so different about this?"_

"Good point, what do you have in mind?" Vince said.

 _"We get some strippers down here and just have ourselves a good time,"_ Pierce said.

"Don't you think we should go to Technically Legal for that?" Vince said.

 _"They've already been called and paid for,"_ Pierce said. _"They're on their way now as we speak."_

"Oh, Pierce, I know I give you shit sometimes, but you really got what it takes to take care of shit," Vince said with mild touch of sarcasm in his voice.

 _"That's why I'm the 'face of the Saints,'"_ Pierce said. _"See you here in a bit. Me, Z, and Johnny are already ready for this."_

Vince sighed. "I wonder what I would do without you. I'll be at the crib in a bit."

After the call had ended, he had received a message from Shaundi, telling him to call her. So he did just that and the call went through.

 _"Hello?"_ Shaundi said.

"Hey, Shaundi, I was just…," Vince said.

 _"Are you fucking kidding me?"_ Shaundi said.

"Whoa, what'd I do?" Vince said.

 _"A party, we're throwing a fucking party, now?"_ Shaundi said.

"It's already going on?" Vince said. "Wow."

 _"Wait, you knew?"_ Shaundi said. _"This was Pierce's idea, huh? I should have known. Oh, I'm going to kill him."_

"Hold on, Shaundi, you're not killing Pierce," Vince said.

 _"You're taking his side?"_ Shaundi said.

"I'm not doing anything. He, Zimos, and Johnny just wanted to celebrate after taking over Downtown," Vince said.

 _"Zimos, I should have known he was a part of this after seeing all of these women with their asses and tits hanging out,"_ Shaundi said. _"I'm surprised Johnny's even involved."_

"Hey, you should know that Johnny sometimes likes to watch women dance," Vince said. "It sounds to me like you have an issue with all of this. Just don't do anything, okay? I'll be there in a bit."

Though the phone, Shaundi shrugged. _"Fine, I'll see you at the penthouse."_

Right when the call had ended, Vince had wondered what happened to Shaundi. Even though the Saints were in the middle of a war of their own, it wouldn't hurt to celebrate every once in a while. After he had helped Zimos with getting his business back, he saw that Zimos was ready to celebrate, but Vince knew it wasn't the right time. But after taking over Downtown Steelport, it was actually a good time for them. But Shaundi didn't think so. Maybe if Shaundi were to lighten up a bit, she could probably cut loose like she used to.

* * *

Vince had arrived at the garage of the Saints HQ. Shaundi stood right by the elevators.

"There you are!" Shaundi said as Vince was getting out of the car.

"Whoa, hold on, you're not up there?" Vince said.

"Why would I be? Why is there a party going on?" Shaundi said.

"Why are you upset about this?" Vince said.

"Oh come on, don't you know that we have some business to deal with?" Shaundi said.

"Said the woman who used to get high and party all the time," Vince said under his breath.

"What did you just say?!" Shaundi said.

"Oh nothing," Vince said. "Let's go up there."

The Boss and Shaundi went to the elevator to go up to the penthouse. Inside the penthouse, many of the Saints ranging from Saint Rocco, Aimee, Lucy, Dave, Tony, and many others, all of whom were having a good time. Pierce and Zimos stood on a balcony close to the railing, while Johnny was sitting on the couch below getting a lap dance from a stripper. All of this was happening with "Honeys in the Place" from Aaron Wheeler playing over the speakers.

Vince and Shaundi walk towards Zimos and Pierce, and it wasn't long until Johnny looked up, which prompted him to go upstairs as well.

"What's going on here, Pierce?" Shaundi said. "We are in the middle of a war and you're throwing a fucking party?!"

"Well, when you say it like that, sure it sounds bad," Pierce said.

Zimos added, _"I was saddled up in a human-pony show, but you see me crying about it, little girl?"_

"I swear to God I will shove that thing down your throat-hole," Shaundi said, referring to Zimos's gold microphone.

"Whoa, Shaundi, you got to kick back and cut loose sometimes," Pierce said.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Johnny said, who came in to jump in.

Shaundi turned towards Johnny. "What's going on is that we're forgetting about what's really important here. After all, we all thought you were dead."

"But I'm not and we're just having a good time," Johnny said. "Besides, it's weird hearing that coming from you, when you used to smoke and get high all the time."

"People change," Shaundi said.

"Pierce and Johnny are right, you know," Vince said.

"Whatever, I can't believe I'm hearing this," Shaundi said and just stormed off and shoved a stripper aside to get out of her way.

"Damn, girl!" Pierce yelled as Shaundi walked away. "Life is for the living and shit, know what I'm saying?"

Pierce sighed, as Vince, Johnny, and Zimos continued to hang out and party.

"Man, if this was how Shaundi used to be, she would be all for this," Pierce said.

"I know people change or grow sometimes, and I know I want to take down the Morningstar," Johnny said. "But shit, we need to relax every now and then, you know?"

"I know that," Vince said. "Come on, guys, let's go have some fun.

The music kept blaring over the speakers as many scantily-clad women danced around. Several of them were dressed in sexy nurse gear, as well as sexy cop gear, and some even looked like sexy demons or angels. Some even dressed like cheerleaders, cowgirls, and schoolgirls.

Johnny, Zimos, Pierce, and Vince all sat around on the couch as a stripper dressed like a dark angel climbed over the sofa. For some reason, Pierce had his .44 Shepherd in hand, but wasn't intending to shoot anybody. Zimos had a bottle of beer in his hand.

"What's up, girl?" Pierce said to the stripper.

The angel stripper went up to Pierce and pushed him right to the couch and straddled herself onto him, like she was ready to give him a lap dance. The stripper smiled and gave a seductive moan to him, causing Pierce to sit back and relax and close his eyes. But the stripper saw the pistol he laid right beside him, as she picked it up and guided right to the front of Pierce's face. Vince heard a clicking sound and turned around and saw the stripper pointing the pistol right to Pierce's face. She was ready to blow Pierce's brains out, so Vince reacted, pushed the stripper's hand up and decked her right in the face, causing a gunshot to go right to ceiling.

The gunshot caught the attentions of Pierce, Zimos, and Johnny, as well as the music to stop. Just then, several strippers drew pistols from above on the stairs. The main Saints members looked up and realized what was about to happen. Everyone spread out before they would eat lead as the stripper assassins started to open fire.

"Shit! These hos ain't hos!" Pierce yelled.

"Ya think?" Johnny said.

"No time for this, guys," Vince said. "We need to take these bitches out! Spread out, all of you!"

After they all got up, they all drew their pistols, which they happened to have on them. Pierce even picked up the gun that the stripper was about to pop him with.

Many of the other Saints drew their weapons, while any other guests, as well as unarmed strippers, whom probably weren't among the assassins that were brought in, just ran out to the back area. Vince told them to keep out of sight or to just get out of the building while they could.

 _"What's happening?"_ Zimos said as he started to run and shoot any armed strippers.

"Your party sucks," Vince said.

"Hey, can we worry about the crazy bitches with guns?" Pierce said.

"Never thought I would have to do this, but here I am," Johnny said as he quickly drew a K-8 Krukov he found somewhere in the penthouse.

Lucy, who happened to be wearing a purple hat, miniskirt, and a pretty small jacket, stood around with Dave and started to open fire on any of the assassins. Many of the unarmed guests just kept running around.

A lot of the Saints just fired at anybody who tried to shoot at them. Johnny saw a couple of strippers with TEK-Z10s in their hands. They could have brought them with them in some case, or they could have taken them from the Saints' personal armory, because they would haven't had that kind of weaponry on them with what they were wearing.

It didn't matter, Johnny dropped both of them as he stood right before them with no cover, even though they could have easily shot him, but he still took them down nonetheless. It was an unpleasant sight, with bullet holes shown right on their bare skin.

One stripper hid inside the gym area as Vince looked around and quickly jumped on his back, ready to choke him.

"What the fuck?!" Vince yelled.

The girl had quite a grip on her hands and strength in her arms. It was apparent that strippers had to keep themselves in some kind of shape to bare it all on stage, but this woman seemed to have a little more strength in her fitness than just having to dance on stage in skimpy outfits. But Vince tried to back himself to a wall, but the girl didn't let go. He turned around and backed towards the glass window, causing it to shatter and they both fell backwards.

Vince got up and saw the woman laid out. "Damn, what _are_ you?"

The woman quickly got up and spun around to deliver a quick spin kick to the Boss's face, causing him to move backwards a bit. He looked again and saw that the woman was ready to deliver a hard right hand but Vince quickly dodged and grabbed her by the wrist and by the back of her head and drove her face first towards the wall, causing her to fall, as she was out of it.

"When you're ready for the next round, let me know," Vince said and went to go find a TEK-Z10 so that he could fight off the rest of the strippers.

He saw Zimos, Johnny, and some others continuing to fight off any other armed stripper assassins.

"Have you guys seen Pierce?" Vince said to Johnny and Zimos.

"Last I checked, he was upstairs," Johnny said.

Saint Rocco and Aimee shot off some more strippers.

"Hey, Boss, I saw Pierce upstairs!" Saint Rocco yelled.

"He's right by the bar, hurry!" Aimee yelled.

Vince led Zimos up the stairs, but saw that Johnny was far from them.

"Johnny, are you coming?" Vince said.

"Don't worry about me, Boss," Johnny said. "I got this. I'll keep my eye on the others."

"Gotcha," Vince said as he ran up the stairs and saw Pierce look up from behind the car counter. "Over there, I see Pierce!"

"A little help up here!" Pierce said.

 _"He's still upstairs?"_ Zimos said.

"We're coming!" Vince yelled as he ran towards his comrade, who looked to be pinned down by enemy gunfire.

Vince and Zimos flanked the other assassins who had Pierce surrounded by the bar. As soon their bodies dropped, leaving a bloody mess on the floor and on the furniture, they went right for Pierce.

"Thanks, Boss," Pierce said.

Vince stood there with Zimos and Pierce and fired away at any other assassin who was about to try to kill them.

"Pierce, where'd you get these hos?" Vince said as he fired from behind the bar counter, while Pierce looked up to see an opportunity to open fire.

"Don't look at me, these are all from Z's black book," Pierce said.

 _"What can I say? The bitches love me,"_ Zimos said.

"They got a funny way of showing it," Vince said.

As all three men, as well as any of the other fellow Saints, such as Dave, Lucy, and Tony, as well as Rocco and Aimee, and even Johnny, continued to defend themselves, suddenly the entire penthouse went dark and then a red emergency light kicked on.

 _"What happened to the power?"_ Zimos said.

"It's your party, you tell me," Vince said.

 _"This ain't on me, baby,"_ Zimos said. _"I like lookin' at the goods when I have company, ya know what I'm sayin'?"_

"They must have cut it," Pierce said.

"This just gets better and better," Vince said.

Bullets kept on flying, even with the power off. The Saints had heard the sound of a propeller from outside, as if there was a helicopter flying by. Under the red emergency light, Johnny blasted through many other stripper assassins. Every one of the Saints looked around and saw red lasers coming through the windows.

 _"Looks like there's a light show outside,"_ Zimos said.

"Snipers, better grab a rifle and get up top," Pierce said.

"On it," Vince said. "Johnny!"

Johnny turned around. "Yeah, Boss?"

"We got a problem with snipers," Vince said. "Meet me on the roof."

"You got it," Johnny said.

"Pierce?" Vince said.

"Don't worry, Boss, me and Z, along with everybody else got it covered down here," Pierce said.

"Just watch out for the snipers," Vince said.

"Shit, you ain't got to tell me twice," Pierce said. "We'll get your back while you take out those snipers."

Vince and Johnny went to the armory. Vince picked up a McManus 2015 rifle, while Johnny picked up an Annihilator RPG launcher, as well as a rifle of his own. With all of the snipers and choppers nearby, they need all the firepower they can get.

Helicopters with Morningstar snipers hovered over the penthouse, as well as other Morningstar snipers from the tops of nearby buildings.

"You take the snipers on the roof," Johnny said. "I got the motherfuckers on the choppers."

"Got it," Vince said.

Vince hid behind one of the AC and heating units on the roof. If he was open, a bullet would take him out at the snap of a finger. Johnny had the RPG launcher, so he quickly went ahead and fired at the helicopters with the snipers.

However, Vince had a hard time to trying to find the Morningstar snipers on the roofs. Once the view was clear, he saw that they were ready to blow a hole in him. Frankly, Vince did it first as he first the first shot into a sniper's dome and found another put another hole into another sniper's chest.

Johnny looked around and it seemed that there were a couple of other snipers nearby, except they were lower than the other two. Being that he had a rifle himself as well, he decided to do the honors on these two. After all, he couldn't let the Boss have all the fun, right?

"That should be all of them," Vince said.

"I don't see any other red lights, do you?" Johnny said. "Come on, let's go check on the others."

Vince and Johnny went down the stairs to head back inside the penthouse. Pierce and Zimos were standing around. It seemed that the shooting had stopped, as many of the stripper assassins were dead.

"Hey, Pierce and Z, snipers are down," Vince said.

"That's a relief," Pierce said. "We pretty much got everyone."

 _"Let's get some power up in here,"_ Zimos said. _"I'm tired of trippin' over bodies."_

"That shit's downstairs," Pierce said. "After you."

"I got this, don't worry," Vince said.

"We'll be up here, Boss," Johnny said.

Vince went downstairs to find the controls in the maintenance room. It was dark, but he had a good sense of where to find things. He got out his phone and used the flashlight feature on it to ensure where things were. It wasn't long until he found the controls.

"Here it goes," Vince said aloud as he was ready to put the power back on, until he felt a hand go right against mouth and felt like his body moved back a bit. It wasn't long he felt something sharp and metal against his neck, as the sharp alloy pressed against his neck, like it was either going to puncture it or slice it. He heard some grunts behind him, it sounded like a woman, too.

Vince stomped on the woman's foot and elbowed her right in the gut. He couldn't see her, as the maintenance room was dark, with the exception of some emergency lights in there, but even that wasn't enough to see his attacker. But the aroma from her fragrance made him sense that she was right in front of him. So for that, he charged right towards her and tackled her against the wall.

With her incapacitated, he went right for the controls and enabled the power back into the penthouse, with the maintenance room having a purple light, among fluorescent lights in there. He looked down and saw the woman. It was the same woman he fought before.

"Damn, who or _what_ are you, lady?" Vince said.

The woman's eyes popped open, she grabbed a hold of the knife once more and rushed right towards Vince. She was ready to slice him open. Vince dodged each attack.

"Aaaahhh!" Vince screamed as he felt a slice against his forearm, as his arm had gotten cut. It wasn't a deep cut and though blood came out, it wasn't too bad.

The woman brandished the knife right above her, like she was ready to stab Vince, but he thought ahead and grabbed her by the arm. He kicked her in the shin and guided her hand, gripping the knife right to her bare stomach, stabbing her in the process. Blood looked to ooze right out of the woman's mouth. Vince may enjoy killing and has had some close calls himself, but this woman was something else. It was clear that the stripper assassins knew how to handle guns, but this woman clearly had some combat training.

Vince sighed in relief, but suddenly, his phone rang. He quickly answered.

"Oleg, can it wait?" Vince said.

 _"You have to cancel the party, it's a trap,"_ Oleg said.

"I noticed," Vince said.

 _"So it's over? I should have known that a few helicopters wouldn't stop you,"_ Oleg said.

"Helicopters, what are you talking about?" Vince realized that there were threats on them. "Johnny, get your RPG! We have work to do!"

"You got it, Boss!" Johnny yelled.

Vince ran to where he saw another Annihilator RPG. He picked it up, along with a few rockets. He ran to the patio area outside, Johnny followed him. Right above them, a couple of attack choppers were hovering over them.

"Nothing we can't handle," Vince said.

"Ain't that the truth," Johnny said.

Both Saints drew their rocket launchers and fired their rockets, as what was left of those helicopters blew up and fell right into the streets below.

"Man, that was a shitty party," Vince said.

"Oh, come on, we got to do a little killing," Johnny said. "That's fun, right?"

"I know I love to watch naked women dance," Vince said. "But not when they're trying to kill you."

"Yeah, I heard that," Johnny said.

Vince and Johnny gave each other a fist bump for their efforts and went back inside. Pierce, Zimos, and some other Saints came up to them and asked if they were okay. Vince and Johnny said they were fine, but Vince told Zimos that if he wanted to provide strippers for another party, it should be his strippers and hookers only, not some other ones. Zimos agreed to it.

Vince looked at all of the bodies laid out in the penthouse, as well as the blood and bullet holes on the walls.

"Looks like we got some cleaning up to do, as well as some minor renovations," Vince said. "I should have listened to Shaundi."

"Shit, Boss, we all should have," Pierce said.

"It was still fun in some ways, you know," Johnny said.

"Good point," Pierce said.

What a night this was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, that was it for this one. Regarding what happens in the game, or at least for this version of my story, I'm going to save anything involving the Syndicate for the next chapter and then I will pick up from there.
> 
> As for the snipers, I know that in the game, the snipers were strippers, but I didn't think that made much sense. It made sense for the strippers AT THE PARTY to be packing heat (though I'm not sure how or where they would be carry SMG's, assault rifles, or shotguns; I did, however, explain that they had a case of some sort or just took the guns from the armory), but why would the snipers on the roof be dressed like strippers? It didn't make sense. So I changed them to Morningstar snipers.
> 
> I had a hard time coming up with a scenario for this, but then it hit me. I hope you all enjoyed it. I will continue from here soon, as I have an idea for the next one. Stay tuned.


	20. DeWynter Blues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be a bit darker than some of the others as it will include some torture. Read it at your own discretion.

It had not been easy lately for the DeWynter sisters. First, they were taken their rightful position as leaders of the Syndicate, thanks to Killbane meddling with Phillipe Loren over how the fight with the Saints should be handled. Second, Barry decided to overthrow them as he wanted to lead until Phillipe returned from his business deals. To top everything off, that snake Barry even provided some footage recorded from a hidden camera in the Syndicate Tower's torture chamber. He decided to use that footage against the sisters, thinking that they could play ball with him.

They weren't sure what they could do anymore. Viola and Kiki had their prostitution business, as well as Safeword. But even Barry wanted a bigger cut than what they were getting. The twins had worked with Loren for quite a while and likely got their start as college interns for some of the legal businesses that the Syndicate owned and right out of college, they made careers out of their jobs and later became Loren's right-hands.

The twins sat in their condo. Kiki was looking at her laptop computer to see if there was anything to report on their businesses, while Viola sat at a table nearby looking at her own computer. Unfortunately, her mind was not on the task.

"I can't believe that asshole," Viola said.

Kiki looked up. "What was that, sis?"

"Barry, he took over our rightful leadership, as we were heirs to Phillipe and now he had that video of us helping Johnny Gat," Viola said. "I know Phillipe is not dead, but even with him out doing other things, we were supposed to hold down the fort."

Kiki took a deep breath. "I hear you. But we have to find something to get over Barry. You were right when you said that Mr. Dickson would have been better suited to be a leader. I mean, yes, he is a bit arrogant, but I respect him as a businessman. But Barry, he had been kissing Phillipe's ass for a while and thinks that he could just take what was rightfully ours."

"I know what you're saying, but what _can_ we do?" Viola said. "I don't know about you, but I have a feeling that Barry will show everyone the video and we'll be totally fucked. I know Phillipe respects us as equals, but something tells me that if he sees that video, we'll have nowhere to run."

"I don't trust that guy, either," Kiki said. "I know he has had it in for us for a while. Not to defend his actions, but I can see why he thinks we might be traitors if we helped free Johnny Gat."

"I know that Phillipe has his way of handling shit if things don't go his way," Viola said. "If the leader of the Saints just cooperated with our little deal, none of this would have happened."

"But you also got to remember that Phillipe even brought in Eddie and his Luchadores," Kiki said. "Yes, you are right, we have been there when Phillipe had gotten into some shit, whether it was for business reasons or just someone fucking with us. But Eddie, he seems to enjoy inflicting pain on people, as do some of his roided-up flunkies. Killbane probably had Phillipe's ear, probably trying to lure the Saints to come to us so that we can all kill them. Shit, you're also forgetting that Phillipe even wanted us and Matt out of all the stuff with Johnny."

"Matt's just a kid, a wimpy one at that," Viola said. "Which is why he has those two girls lead the Deckers when it comes to assault and defense. The rest of them are young as well, not quite there to get into the heavy shit we seen."

"Right, but it was only a matter of time until Phillipe and Killbane would have gotten the brutes on Gat," Kiki said. "We both know that Gat and the Saints' leader are relentless. They had planned on taking us all out to begin with. You may have said that Phillipe looks at us as equals, but think about it, sis. Ever since all the bullshit with the Saints started, even before he left, all that was on his mind was what the Syndicate should do about the Saints. Did it ever cross your mind that he treated us a bit like afterthoughts after all of this started? Phillipe knows what we're capable of, but either Eddie and/or Barry had his ear for so long, or maybe he just started to see that we're not worthy of the throne when he goes. He would have involved us in this. Yes, we have our business, but so do Killbane and Matt. It wouldn't have made a difference."

Viola sat there in silence. Her sister had a point. It just seemed a bit off of Phillipe to just leave the two sisters out of this. Did Phillipe lose respect for the twins? Could the fact that they helped out Johnny Gat be a sign that they didn't want things to escalate further or was it a way to get back at their boss?

"You know, we have our credentials and stuff," Kiki said. "What do you think if we go into business for ourselves? Maybe we should start our own organization. We don't need to deal with all this bullshit."

Viola nodded her head. "I think we can do this."

Suddenly, Kiki's smartphone rang. The contact on the screen read "Zoey."

"Hold on, I got to take this," Kiki answered. "Hello, Zoey, what's up?"

 _"Kiki, I need you and Viola to come to Safeword,"_ Zoey said. _"Clara and Lillian need to discuss something with you."_

"Can't you just tell me and Viola what's going on over the phone?" Kiki said. "I'll put it on speaker."

 _"No, I have to tell you in person,"_ Zoey said. _"Come down here. We need to talk."_

"Okay, we'll be by in a bit," Kiki said and then ended the call.

"What was that about?" Viola said.

"Zoey wants us to come by Safeword," Kiki said. "She said it was urgent. Not sure what it is, but we have to see. Come on, let's get going."

Both sisters got up to leave. They drove their Temptress to the BDSM club in Rosen Oaks. They parked their car in front of the club. For some odd reason, this place didn't look to be busy that night. In fact, it looked kind of empty. On any other night, it would be a happening place, with gimps and dominatrices being in the central part of the club with the bar and women dancing in the cages. Usually the action would be happening in the rooms.

But it wasn't the case. The twins had full access to the club as they owned the place, but still, nobody at the front desk, the red and pink lights in the main part of the club were dim.

"Hello?" Viola said.

"Is anybody here?" Kiki said.

"Hello, ladies," a male voice said. The lights were dim, enough that it was hard to grasp who said that.

"Barry?" Viola clearly recognized that voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Here to take care of business," Barry said.

"What are you talking about?" Viola said. "You already took some of our business."

"Well, you see there is one last bit of business that I need to take care of," Barry said. "I'm looking right at them."

"What?" Kiki said.

Suddenly, Zoey, Clara, and Lillian started walking out, as well as Gus and Victor, and other higher-ranking muscle within the Morningstar like Pete and Norman, one of the top snipers in the organization.

"What's going on here?" Kiki said. "Look, we don't need this. After what you did, Viola and I decided that we are leaving The Syndicate."

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Barry said and looked to the three female Morningstar members. "Ladies, do the honors."

Clara and Lillian grabbed Kiki, while Zoey and Pete grabbed Viola and pointed a gun right to her head.

"You see, there's one thing you didn't think of," Barry said. "It seems that none of us tolerate traitors around here. Whether it's helping the enemy or leaving the organization like this. I will say that I understand your reasoning, but Killbane…and also Phillipe suggested that something needed to be done."

Viola stood there with a look of concern on her face. Some other female Morningstar soldiers came in and held Kiki down and pulled her dress off of her, as she was just in her underwear. Clara and Lillian held crops and floggers, as well as S&M paddles nearby. The other Morningstar members held Kiki as she lied face down on the floor and restrained her feet and hands in case she would try to fight back or make a break for it.

Clara and Lillian went forth and whipped her on her back. They started with the crops, as they had whipped her multiple times with them. Then moved onto the floggers, as Kiki's back started turning red, as well as started gaining welts on it, much to Viola's horror as she was forced to watch this happen. She cried at the sight of seeing her sister get beaten like this.

But it didn't stop there. They had turned Kiki's body around. She winced and shook at what was happening to her. Clara and Lillian broke out the paddles and swung them downward right to her stomach. Kiki turned over a bit, as Clara kicked her right in her stomach. Kiki coughed, but that didn't stop the two to break out the flogger and crop, commencing the whipping once again.

Kiki's body was red and welted. Tears ran down Viola's face and she shook at the sight. She even wondered if she was next after they were done with Kiki.

"STOP, PLEASE, STOP!" Viola yelled and pushed Zoey away from her and grabbed the gun from her hand and pointed it at everyone.

"My sister and I are out! OUT!" Viola yelled. "Don't try to stop us, okay? You all made your point. If you come anywhere near us, I'll fucking kill you."

Viola undid Kiki's restraints and guided her up to her feet. She even picked up her dress, as she knew that was one of Kiki's favorite dresses and it was rather hard to find, too. The sisters had expensive tastes.

She got Kiki to her feet and put her arm over her shoulder. Kiki was still able to move a bit and was able to hang the dress from her arm. Viola guided Kiki out of Safeword and turned around and pointed the gun towards everyone. Much to the sisters' surprise, the other Morningstar members didn't even try to shoot them.

After they walked out the door, every one of the Morningstar muscle stood close to Barry.

Zoey leaned towards Barry. "Hey, you want me and the girls to follow them and take care of them?"

Barry took out a cigar and lit it up. "No, they'll be dead soon enough. We take care of them and then we, along with the rest of the Syndicate take care of the Saints."

* * *

Viola put Kiki in the passenger seat of their Temptress. Kiki breathed hard after the beating she took. Viola went right for the driver seat and started up the car.

"I'm taking you to a hospital, Kiki," Viola said. "You look really bad."

Kiki replied. "Barry, I should have known that he would tell everyone about that."

"At least you had the balls to tell Barry upfront that we were leaving," Viola said. "Fuck all this shit, I can't let them get away with what they did to you. He said that Killbane and Phillipe ordered this. You know what that means, right?"

Kiki slowly nodded her head.

"Look, you need some help," Viola said. "I'll think of something soon, okay?"

"Got it," Kiki said.

Viola pulled up to the hospital in Loren Square. Being that the Saints ran Downtown now, it would seem a bit safer for her to be at that hospital, as opposed to the one in Camano Place, where that one still had some Morningstar influence.

Viola got Kiki out of the car and went to the front desk to have her get checked in. She got beaten rather badly. She needed some treatment. Some EMT's came out and escorted Kiki to an emergency room. Viola stood there and watched. She knew that Kiki would be better soon, but she also knew that she and her sister were marked. There had to be somewhere to turn for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Kiki will live through this. I also didn't like the way Kiki was killed off in the game. It was so sudden and for what reason, just because Killbane didn't like being addressed by his real name?
> 
> The title for this chapter is based on a trophy/achievement that was supposed to be for Saints Row IV. It seemed that Viola was originally going to be in that game, but wasn't. There were even audio logs made for her. But it was scrapped and she ended up being in Gat Out of Hell.
> 
> I will bring Kiki back into it, as I am also putting in some additional content in this version. Just wait and see what I will do. Stay tuned.


	21. Solutions to the Problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this isn't so soon. This was an idea that I had. This will be a set of interludes from different perspectives. Enjoy!

It was the day after. The party left the Saints HQ in shambles to a point, but it was nothing that the Saints couldn't afford to fix. All that was needed was the right amount of resources and the right kind of workers to help fix up the penthouse.

However, Vince had something else in mind. He wanted to have another sit-down talk with Shaundi. Though she had a good point, if was right about the party situation, with there being some assassins going in dressed as exotic dancers and wrecking the party. Aside from some of the damage to the penthouse, not a lot of people got hurt. There were a few casualties from some partygoers, but most the bodies were that of the assassins.

He had arranged for Shaundi to meet up with him at Smiling Jack's, as for the night, some of the crew stayed at Derek's apartment. Vince basically just forwent sleep as he and Johnny went to go look for any areas where the Morningstar operated, at least in New Colvin now that Downtown belonged to the Saints. Johnny felt tired at some point and needed to sleep. Vince suggested that he go crash at Zimos's place, as Vince told him that Z wouldn't have minded.

Vince would sleep, but there were times when he didn't. This was one of those nights. How could anybody sleep when they were almost killed? But nonetheless, he told Shaundi to meet him at the diner. She stayed at the apartment. It was close by. It was also now morning, so why not meet up?

Vince had arrived at Smiling Jack's. It was during the week, as a lot of the clientele during that time was usually retirees, among other older people, as well as some people who were off of work. There just weren't families there for breakfast, as would be the case during the weekends.

He had asked for a booth close to the kitchen area and a mirror. It was in the corner, to be exact. A waitress came by as Vince sat there awaiting Shaundi's arrival. He told her that he would like a coffee for now.

It wasn't long until Shaundi had arrived in her Torch. She pulled up and parked and went inside. She looked like she cleaned up, as it was morning and wanted to look presentable. She dressed a little casually, just in a purple Stilwater Sharks T-shirt and purple jeans, not in a low-cut crop top that she would usually wear.

"Hey, Boss," Shaundi said.

"You know, since you've gotten more comfortable calling me by my real name, I'm surprised you didn't call me 'Vince,'" he said.

"I don't know what call you right now, it's so confusing," Shaundi said as she sat down in the booth.

"You can call me Vince if you want," he said. "Listen, I called you over because I wanted to have a talk with you."

"About what?" Shaundi said.

The waitress came by and gave Vince his coffee and asked if Shaundi wanted something to drink. She said she wanted a coffee as well.

"Listen, about last night, me, Pierce, Johnny, and Zimos got into some serious shit," Vince said. "I want you to know that you had a point about the party. Some of the strippers tried to shoot us."

"I heard," Shaundi said. "Pierce came by later on with some of the others and crashed. So I was right, huh?"

"Nobody expected this to happen," Vince said. "None of us did. Shit, if we have a woman shaking her ass in front of us like that, it can sometimes cloud our judgments. Lucky for me, I was the first to notice."

"Men, always powerless to the power of pussy," Shaundi said.

"That may be true, but we all took care of the problem," Vince said. "But here it goes, while maybe your actions from last night may have saved us a bit, I also want you to know that there is a time and place to let loose."

"Oh, come on, are we _really_ having this conversation?" Shaundi said.

The waitress came by and gave Shaundi her coffee.

"Thanks," Shaundi said and turned to Vince.

Vince said, "I'm just saying that maybe you should calm down a bit. I know you're not the same stoner that you once were, but even when we used to handle all our shit a while back, there was always a time and place to kick back and party. Pierce and Johnny had a good point. Even though Johnny may handle his shit, he knows when to just relax."

Shaundi sighed and took a drink of her coffee after what she had just heard. "It's just that the only thing that's been on my mind is all this shit with the Syndicate."

"It's been on my mind, too," Vince said. "But there is only so much we can do. Yes, we didn't expect those strippers to try to kill us, and I know it was the Syndicate's doing. However, in some ways I think some of that was because Zimos had some connections."

Shaundi scoffed when she heard that name.

"Something wrong?" Vince said.

"Let's just say that Zimos and I have crossed paths before," Shaundi said. "I'd rather not get into it, but it happened during that Spring Break I came out here."

"Oh…," Vince said it in such a way that he kind of figured what she meant. "Never mind, then."

"Okay, you are right that maybe I need to calm down a bit," Shaundi said. "When we first got here, I was upset that Johnny was killed. It turned out he wasn't. Yes, I was a bit jealous of the new people we recruited before, but I am kind of over it. I am going to try to be a little calmer now. I don't think I'll get high like I used to, but I think I can try to help any way that I can."

"That's the spirit," Vince said. "We will take down the Syndicate. We just got to know how we're going to do it."

The waitress came by once again and asked if they wanted to have something to eat. Vince and Shaundi declined and asked for the bill for the coffee. Vince paid and tipped the waitress and the two Saints were off. Their day was only getting started.

* * *

Inside a boardroom, Senator Monica Hughes called for a meeting among some powerful figures in Steelport. Though she was a member of the senate, a lot of the problems with gangs had been occurring in Steelport, especially the destruction of her husband's bridge.

Monica stood before some people, with Mayor Burt Reynolds by her side, as he was the mayor of Steelport. She called to get everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it has come to my attention that Steelport has been going through a gang problem as of late," Hughes said. "Ever since the Richard Hughes Memorial Bridge was destroyed, I had decided that we need to put an end to this problem once and for all."

"But Senator," a man said. "What can we do? The Steelport Police Department seems to do nothing about this problem, especially with a lot of the gangs in Steelport doing as they please."

"There has to be a way, right?" a woman at the table said. "Remember the gang problem in Stilwater? There was talk of police corruption that goes back, even though there are some honest cops willing to uphold the law."

"Let me remind you," Hughes said. "Stilwater may have had corruption in the department, gangs roaming the streets, as well as corrupt corporate businessmen trying to take out some gangs and inhabitants to fix up some pieces of land."

"Wait just a minute," another man said, who seemed younger than some of the other members in the meeting. He was African-American and was wearing a suit with an orange tie and had an Ultor symbol on his jacket.

"If you're saying that Ultor didn't have a reason to make Stilwater a better place, then what do you suggest that could be done about the problem in Steelport?" the Ultor businessman said.

"Excuse me, Mr. Jackson," Mayor Reynolds said.

"Please, you can call me Dexter, or Dex, it doesn't matter to me," the Ultor businessman said.

"Okay, Dex," Mayor Reynolds said. "I think what Senator Hughes is trying to say is Steelport has undergone a major issue after the incident at the bridge. There are more gangs in this city to deal with that maybe we can try to eliminate the problem."

"I see," Dex said.

"Mr. Jackson," Senator Hughes said. "With all due respect, Dane Vogel died thinking that he could take control of the problem, but it would take a lot more than the police or the FBI to really control the gang problem. Let's not forget that the Masako teams caused more destruction than it was worth in Stilwater."

"Senator Hughes, let me just say that I am sorry for what happened to your husband's bridge," Dex said. "I know that I am little younger and less experienced than some of the people here, but as the person running things here in Steelport with Ultor's factories, I just want you to know that we can help fund the proper solution to all of Steelport's problems. Sure, I can see if some of my associates at Ultor can provide the Masako if necessary, but Ultor has been funding this new unit that can help with the gang problem. Maybe you can talk with the White House and the Pentagon about this."

"Okay, what is this unit you're talking about?" Hughes said.

"I am talking about a paramilitary unit that could really put the gang problem to its knees," Dex said. "They will enforce the law and take care of the gang problem. Maybe you can talk with the president and the rest of the senate about this. I know I have no room to talk as I am only a businessman, but Ultor can help with the funding and maybe help with the problem as well."

Mayor Reynolds nodded his head and looked at Senator Hughes. "What do you say to that?"

Senator Hughes nodded her head. "I think we can work with something. I'll talk with my fellow senators about this."

* * *

What a night it was for the DeWynter twins and not in a good way. Kiki was hospitalized from taking a beating from fellow Morningstar members. It was clear to both of them that they were marked. They were unsure that it was safe enough for them to stay in an area the Saints ran, but it was better than the hospital in Camano Place.

Viola stayed overnight to keep Kiki company. There was no denying how close these two were. Sure, there some differences in their personalities, as Kiki was the more outspoken and outgoing one, while Viola was the calmer one and kept more to herself. In the end, they were still close and had each other.

Viola woke up and saw that Kiki was awake. She was still bruised on parts of her body. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if she had suffered cracked ribs. After all, she was kicked pretty hard.

Kiki turned and saw Viola looking at her.

"Viola, you stayed?" Kiki said.

"Yeah, I did, I couldn't leave you like that," Viola said. "How are you feeling, Kiki?"

"I'm still pretty fucked up, but I think maybe in about a day or two, I'll be fine," Kiki said.

"Look, I don't know what we can do about this," Viola said. "Even if we leave Steelport, the Syndicate will find a way to find us and we'll be dead."

Kiki nodded her head. "I'm surprised that the Luchadores didn't join in and try to rough me up some more."

"This isn't funny, we can't go on like this," Viola said.

"Didn't say it was," Kiki said. "I'm just saying that if Barry would have called Eddie and brought in his roid monkeys, I would have suffered a lot more."

Both sisters paused for a bit.

"Listen, I'm going to find a way for us to get back at the Syndicate," Viola said.

"How are you going to do that?" Kiki said.

"Trust me, I know a way," Viola said. "It's time we fuck up the Syndicate ourselves."

Kiki nodded her head and smirked a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I hope you enjoyed these interludes. It wasn't long, but I wanted to give more insight to the story as to what's to come. I hope it wasn't too soon, though the previous chapter was something I wanted to do to put more into the stuff with the DeWynter twins.
> 
> Next up, the Saints invade Safeword once again. Stay tuned.


	22. Pimps Up, Ho's Down

It had been a few days since the stripper assassin raid. Vince had gotten some people to work on the walls, windows, and floors of the Saints HQ after the shootout that occurred there. He had been handling other tasks on the side. He even did some favors for Kinzie by getting some of her contacts from the Deckers. He also did some more training with Angel. Even then, he tried to get Angel to get out of the gym every once in a while, but he refused. At least with Kinzie, she was willing to leave her warehouse, depending on the situation.

But it seemed that Zimos had other ideas. Though Vince had provided some women for his prostitution ring, the Morningstar still wasn't done. After all, with some of the other higher-ranking members of the Morningstar finished, it was just a matter of time until they were completely finished.

It was almost evening. Vince had looked on at the progress being made on the penthouse. Everyone else was out doing some stuff. There were a few Saints members in the penthouse to keep an eye on the maintenance workers, however. Vince decided it was time to get out for a bit.

He went down to the garage and got in his Neuron. He hadn't talked to Zimos in a few days. Not because he was upset at him, though he kind of was regarding the assassin raid. No, it was because he needed to take a breather after the incident and wanted to get some tasks done. He found him on his contacts and made the call.

The call went through. _**"Hey, I'm glad you called,"**_ Zimos said.

"Why, so you could suggest more hookers that'll try to kill us?" Vince said.

 _ **"Don't be an asshole, that coulda happened to anybody,"**_ Zimos said.

"It's a common problem, I'm sure," Vince said with mild sarcasm.

 _ **"Look, I got a plan to pay back the Morningstar,"**_ Zimos said.

"Mind filling me in?" Vince said.

 _ **"Let's meet up, then I'll give you the details,"**_ Zimos said.

"Better be worth it," Vince said. "Where do you want to meet up?"

 _ **"Somewhere in Downtown, Loren Square, playa,"**_ Zimos said.

"See you there," Vince said. He started up his Neuron. It wasn't too far from where he was. So Zimos shouldn't be too far away. He was off and ready to handle his business. If only he knew what Zimos's idea was.

* * *

It wasn't long until Vince got a call from Zimos about where to meet him. He said to meet him on some corner where a large screen was. With the way this city was at night, it was hard to be specific. That was until Vince saw a crowd of people gathered and looking up at said screen. From what it looked like, it had Senator Monica Hughes speaking, probably an address of some sort.

He parked the Neuron and walked up to the crowd of people looking on.

 _"…And while no group has taken credit for the attack in Stilwater, we have ignored its root cause,"_ Senator Hughes said. _"Our uncontrolled media and the goods sold to our children have fetishized gang culture and turned sociopathic madmen into heroes. No more!"_

Applause was heard on-screen. The graphic on the screen, which was supported by News 13 Live, read "Senate Launches STAG Initiative." Underneath the headline, it read "Government turns up heat in Steelport; Hughes makes vow to 'take back the streets of America'; City braces for more violence."

Senator Hughes continued, _"Those responsible for this act of terror will be found and held accountable."_ More applause.

 _"The STAG Initiative marks a milestone in taking back the streets of America!"_ Senator Hughes said to more applause.

Vince and Zimos looked on like they didn't know what to think about all of this.

"What the hell is the 'STAG Initiative'?" Vince said.

 _"Hmmm, if it's free porn for everyone, I am down,"_ Zimos said.

"Not in the least surprised, Z," Vince said as they started to walk away. "So what's the lead?"

 _"Oh, I got you hooked up, slim,"_ Zimos said.

The two walked up to a van in an alley nearby with a zebra-print paintjob on the sides and on the doors, it read "Boogie Bus."

"Very discreet," Vince said.

Zimos dug through a pocket in his jacket, handing Vince an envelope of some sort.

 _"That's an invitation to kick the Morningstar right in their collective pussy,"_ Zimos said. _"They're having an auction tonight. Flash the card, and you're in."_

Vince took out the card in the envelope. It appeared to be a ticket, even though what was written on the card seemed a bit odd for him as he had experienced what it was like at Safeword that one night.

"So what, I pretend to be an eccentric millionaire?" Vince said.

 _"Kind of,"_ Zimos said. _"I'm gonna auction you off as a sex slave."_

Vince looked up the moment he heard that. "Fuck. That."

 _"Oh, quit being a bitch, and get in the van,"_ Zimos said.

Vince took a deep breath. He wondered what he was getting into, but if Zimos said that this could put the hurt on the Morningstar, then maybe he'll go with it.

"All right, I hope this is worth it," Vince said. "You better not be shitting me on this."

 _"Relax, slim, I know what I'm doing,"_ Zimos said and opened the door to the back of the van.

Vince took another deep breath and got in the van.

* * *

A half-hour to an hour had passed. Vince had woken up inside a large room. It was round, had a European feel to it. He was completely naked. He looked around and it seemed like in his vision, the walls and the floor were moving.

"Whoa, pretty colors," Vince said as he looked on and saw some weird movement and fell to the floor. Either it was the wall moving, or he was moving. "Okay, let's do this."

He quickly approached the two doors. Zimos stood there in a hallway with red walls and what looked like a red or pink light glaring.

 _"Here's your gun back,"_ Zimos said in a much slower way. _"You will need it."_

The way Zimos spoke sounded slower than ever before. It was like he was distorted. Zimos handed Vince a Kobra pistol with a suppressor on it. Being that it was also an effective weapon in its own right, this should be useful.

"Should be fun storing ammo," Vince said as he ran down the hall completely in the nude.

 _"That's on you to figure out, baby,"_ Zimos said. _"I would rather not know."_

Once Vince went around the corner to right, a front desk was seen, along with some Morningstar soldiers just hanging around. A guy in a black and red outfit was at the desk, while a female in a black jacket and pants with a red low-cut top was outside of it. Another guy stood outside of the desk in a similar to the guy in the front desk.

This moment was a bit unpleasant because though he had streaked before, the only times in recent memory he was naked with anybody was if he had a one night stand or something. He was even skeptical about doing a favor for Shaundi involving taking out an old lady who had a thing against public nudity.

He ran right towards the female Morningstar soldier and gave her a flying clothesline and rolled right on the floor, where the male soldier was ready to open fire. But Vince thought ahead and quickly shot the man twice in the leg and then a third shot to the head and quickly shot the female soldier in her head to keep her down.

The guy behind the desk sounded the alarm and was ready to flank Vince, but met a buckshot to the back as multiple holes were shown after he was dropped.

Vince looked up. "Thanks, Z."

 _"Don't mention it, Playa,"_ Zimos said. _"Now find somethin' to shut off those alarms."_

Vince ran towards the desk and saw some computers there. However, running made his current condition worse as right when he went to the desk, he vomited, but he still went to a computer. No such luck.

 _"Damn things are still goin',"_ Zimos said. _"We'll have to go down to the find the security room."_

Just then, a couple of doors had opened. Behind door one, a couple of Morningstar soldiers barged in. Behind door two, a few sex workers had come out, armed as well, whether it was with guns or a rather large purple dildo that had a handle on it.

 _"Hey there, ladies,"_ Zimos said. _"Come on, roll with us. We'll keep you safe."_

A few of the Morningstar soldiers tried to open fire but were met with gunfire from Vince, Zimos, and a couple of hookers.

"Damn, what's making the floor vibrate?" Vince said and dropped to ground. He put his hand out to help himself get back up to his feet. "Come on, let's get going."

Vince opened the door. He saw that he was inside Safeword, as the main area was all too familiar to him. Except this time there were only Morningstar members.

One hooker was armed tried to get out through the doorway. However, a couple of shots to the chest caused her to drop to the floor. A male Morningstar soldier stood right next to a pillar that faced that exact door. But he was met a few bullets to the chest himself as another hooker laid a few shots into him.

"Should be clear now," the woman said.

The hooker stepped outside, but she quickly dropped as a hole burst from her chest through her back with blood splattering on both ends. She landed right by the doorway in a fetal position.

"What the fuck?" Vince said, even though he was still dizzy, but not enough to notice some red lasers lighting up the main area of Safeword. "Shit, we got snipers in here."

There was only one hooker left of the three that left the room. She quickly picked up one of the TEK-Z10s that a Morningstar soldier dropped. Vince did the same. He could only get so far with that Kobra, which he dropped because he had nowhere to hold the weapon.

Vince led the way for Zimos and the other hooker, whose name was Venus and was African-American. The main area was crawling with Morningstar. Snipers were around, as were other soldiers. They were as good as dead, except for one thing. Vince ran back to the desk and broke through some of the drawers. For some odd reason, they had some flash-bang grenades in there. The dizziness was halfway to wearing off, but he still had that euphoric feeling. A single bullet, especially from a sniper could do him in.

Vince handed Venus and Zimos a few of the grenades. They both checked a few and big flash occurred all over the area. Zimos and Venus just went forth gunned down all of them, while Vince went up the stairs and pumped one of the snipers full of lead and quickly grabbed his McManus rifle and fired away at any other snipers. That's all what needed to be done. Everyone was down and Vince raced down the stairs with the machine gun and met up with Zimos and Venus.

"Come on, let's go," Vince said.

 _"You're handling this naked thing better than I thought you would,"_ Zimos said.

Vince led the other two down the hallway and saw a door on the right.

"I mean, this just feels…right," Vince said.

Venus added, "I'll say. You got quite a body on you. You ever want a good time, let me know."

Vince chuckled a tad, "Maybe, we'll see."

The door led into a few flights of stairs. This probably was the same flight of stairs where Vince and Pierce went through to get to the pony barn, except he wasn't sure where the security center was.

 _"Where you headed? We got to go down, remember?"_ Zimos said.

"I'm just trying to see where it could be, you know?" Vince said.

Vince found a door that was open. Inside were some crates and a brick wall, as well as a chain-link gate. Vince opened and saw some cages down a corridor with some women inside. It's like they were locked in cells.

"What the hell?" Vince said.

Zimos and Venus saw the other women. Venus was the only one of the three who survived earlier, but she stuck by.

 _"Shit, we can't leave them like this,"_ Zimos said. _"I say we let 'em out."_

"Hey, more bitches for your biz, we can do this," Vince said and looked towards Venus. "I see you can handle yourself a bit."

"The other girls did, too," Venus said. "But we didn't see that coming. I'll roll with you guys." She looked towards Zimos. "If you ever need a bottom bitch, I'm game."

 _"Sure thing, little lady,"_ Zimos said.

"You can call me Venus."

From a distance, an accented female voice yelled "They're in here!"

"Fuck, we got to take some people out," Vince said.

Vince ran and led Zimos and Venus down the way and saw a computer. He figured that he should clear out some of the Morningstar before freeing the ladies.

All three of them just quickly opened fire on anybody who got in their way.

"Damn, wouldn't want to be Morningstar right now!" Vince said.

Everyone dropped and Vince ran back to the computer and entered a code, letting out some of the women in the cells and they followed the trio. They reached a corner and turned left and saw an open door, as well as an open area with crates, tables, and water coolers. Morningstar soldiers just happened to have been waiting for them.

"Ladies, out of the way!" Vince said. The other women got out of the way and hid behind the trio as the trio just opened fire. They needed to do that, especially if Vince was still completely naked and didn't want to leave an unpleasant sight of wounds on his chest, despite already having some scars on his body.

Inside the room with the open door, a Japanese woman with a long coat stood over what looked like a woman with a bag over her head. Turned out the woman in the coat was Clara, one of the heads of security at Safeword.

"You are going to cooperate with us," Clara said. "Andre is running things here now and now you have to be a sex slave!"

Vince pistol-whipped Clara in the back of her head, knocking her down and right towards the woman and pulled the bag from over her head. The woman turned out to be Hispanic, likely Mexican. In fact, this woman looked rather familiar to Vince.

"Luz, is that you?" Vince said.

"Oh my god!" Luz said as she looked at Vince up and down, and down and up.

"Long story, what are you doing here?" Vince said.

"Long story as well," Luz said. "I should ask you the same thing, and why are you…?"

"I'm not answering _that_ question, but I am going to say that I'm helping my boy with his business," Vince said.

 _"You know this lady?"_ Zimos said.

"Yeah, we've met before," Vince said.

"Listen, I can't stay here," Luz said. "Let me help you."

"Uh, I don't know," Vince said.

"Listen, you didn't kill me that one night and you also protected me from the Ronin when I worked as a drug mule," Luz said. "I can help you!"

"Okay, we'll talk more, but right now, you need to stay with us," Vince said. "Come on, let's keep going."

All four people, along with the freed hookers kept going down the way. More women were seen in the cages.

 _"More to let out,"_ Zimos said. _"Get on that."_

"I will, just let me find another computer," Vince said.

Everyone kept walking and running to find another door to head to another area. One thing that they came across was a brute that was dressed like a hooker as well. There was no way they were bringing that…thing with them.

"Hey, Z, I got something to tell you," Vince said as he headed to another door.

 _"What's that, playa?"_ Zimos said.

"You know you're never getting me like this again," Vince said.

 _"To be honest, I didn't think it would work the first time,"_ Zimos said.

Right on the other side of the door, more Morningstar soldiers awaited their arrival. Oddly enough, even though the Morningstar soldiers were armed, many of the freed hookers just went worth and started beating them up. The Morningstar soldiers had little time to draw their weapons but the amount of rage following through the veins of these women was just that intense that these soldiers were no match for them.

But Vince and Zimos wanted to set the other women free. While the other women took down the Morningstar soldiers, some of whom even savagely stomped and kicked them to a bloody mess. Vince found another computer and let every one of them free from their cells.

"Okay, that should be all of them," Vince said.

 _"Time to go after their heads of security,"_ Zimos said.

"Okay, but what about the girls?" Vince said.

"Don't worry," Venus said. "I'll look after them. I'll find a way for them to get out."

"I'm staying with them as well," Luz said. "We'll meet afterwards."

"Got it," Vince said.

Vince and Zimos were ready to take down the heads of security at Safeword. All of the women went their own way. But where could the heads of security be found?

The two Saints found another door that headed into the garage. Inside, an Afro-Caribbean woman and a European woman were found. They had the same type of getup that the Japanese woman from before wore, with them wearing teddies, bustiers with garter belts and thongs, and also long coats. They were Zoey and Lillian.

"Hello, boys." Surprisingly enough, Clara caught up to them. They even wondered if she even caught the ladies, but no other gunshots were hot.

"Well well," Zoey said. "Looks like we got a situation here."

"You took our best pony and now he's auctioning you off as a sex slave?" Lillian said.

Clara walked around them and pointed her gun right at the two Saints.

"We all knew that you and that one guy were there to cause problems that one night," Clara said. "But now, we won't make the same mistake."

Vince quickly grabbed Clara's gun, setting it off by firing a few bullets up to the ceiling. It led to Zoey and Lillian opening fire towards Vince and Zimos, as they ran along the side. As much as Vince wanted to handle this right now, he was running low on his magazine, while these two had more bullets to blow on them. Vince saw a wrench lying around and chucked it right at Lillian, while Zimos picked up a fire extinguisher and sprayed all of them, letting out a huge cloud so that the two Saints could make their escape.

They ran as fast they could towards the garage door and got out.

"Whew, that was close," Vince said. "Where are my clothes, Z?"

"Don't worry about that, your threads are in the Boogie Bus," Zimos said. "Just go in and put them on."

Vince ran right for the van, which was not far away and went inside. Zimos looked up and saw all the ladies. They all made it out safely.

It wasn't long until Vince put on his clothes and got out of the van.

"Say, ladies, what do you say you take a ride on the Boogie Bus?" Zimos said with a smile and pulled his sunglasses down a tad, as if he was making a double entendre joke right there.

Zimos and Venus went into the main cab part of the van, while Luz stood away from them, but Vince approached her.

"Hey, Luz," Vince said.

"Hey, I never thought I would see you like that," Luz said.

"Well, like I said, it's a long story," Vince said. "Listen, I can probably give you a ride, but one of my cars is in Downtown. I could take you to a hotel or something."

"Okay, that sounds good," Luz said.

"Listen, what happened and how did you get involved?" Vince said.

"Right now, I don't want to tell you too much, but let's just say that involves the Morningstar and my boyfriend Andre," Luz said.

"Andre? Is he a pimp or something?" Vince said.

Luz sighed, "Yes, he is. How do you know?"

"Lucky guess, you sure know how you pick your men," Vince said.

"I didn't expect him to get me involved in this stuff," Luz said. "I moved out here at some point and started running a shoe store."

"Listen, we'll talk more about this later," Vince said. "I'll call one of my boys or girls. They'll bring me a car and I'll give you a ride."

"Thank you so much," Luz said.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the garage, the trio of ladies were rather livid that they didn't take out the leader of the Saints, as well as Zimos. Zoey, who seemed to be their leader, got out her cellphone.

"Hello, Andre," Zoey said. "We got more problems. The Saints took some of our girls. Okay, when do you want us to do this? Just name the time and place. Do you want us to handle them? I could get Norman and Grigor involved. Okay, we'll see."

Zoey got off the phone.

"What did he say?" Lillian said.

Zoey answered, "He said that we'll have to be on the lookout for any activity on our organization. Phillipe and Barry will give us the green light to make our move."

"Sounds good to me," Clara said. "We'll be ready for them. All of us will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this one. Yes, you saw that I brought in Luz Avalos in this one as well, but really, I had thought of putting her in but I had to find a way to bring her in, not so much shoehorn her in just because.
> 
> I had also read somewhere that when you free the hookers, you could recruit them as homies in this mission. I personally hadn't tried it, but in my next go, I shall see. I also had the two hookers get shot at first to make things a little more realistic, as they didn't see those gunshots coming.
> 
> I had initially thought of a battle sequence with the lady trio, but then I thought it would be better to do that for another chapter as I like to think of them as bodyguards for Andre, who I will have appear soon.
> 
> Next up, the Saints take down the Morningstar's human-trafficking operation. Stay tuned.


	23. A Problematic Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a prelude to the next chapter. Enjoy!

More problems had arisen in the Syndicate, or at least the Morningstar. First, word had gotten out that the DeWynter sisters had helped the enemy and also left the organization. However, Phillipe Loren and Barry Danko were not going to let them walk free, especially Barry, who had it in for them for quite a while.

The second problem was that the auction at Safeword didn't go so well. Vince Shane, the leader of the Saints, had invaded the BDSM club with Zimos and managed to take a lot of the women they were about to auction off. It was apparent that the prostitution business within the Syndicate was in shambles.

It was the day after the incident at Safeword. Barry sat in his office in Loren Square. He was on the phone with someone, but who was it?

"Listen, Andre, you are running things now, don't you think you could have taken them out before they left with all of our women?" Barry said.

 _"You don't understand,"_ Andre said. _"The Saints took down almost everyone or at least managed to escape. I talked with Zoey, Clara, and Lillian. They had them right in their sights, even with the Saints leader butt-naked. But he and Zimos escaped with all of our girls. It wasn't long until the Saints started to come in and take out the rest of our people and now it seems like Safeword is theirs. Don't forget that they even took some of our girls in New Colvin."_

It appeared that Barry may have underestimated the Saints leader a tad. It appeared that he had been too focused on destroying the DeWynter sisters a bit to focus on the bigger issue at hand.

"But wait, even if that whole thing at Safeword didn't happen, isn't there a boat coming in soon?" Barry said. "Your business is not in trouble."

 _"But something must be done, right?"_ Andre said. _"They even took the most important part of the auction. You know, you may be right. Besides, the boat is coming in soon. We'll see what we can do about Safeword and taking it back. We still have some brothels in the area."_

"Exactly," Barry said, but saw that an important notification came up on his computer. "Look, I have some other stuff to do. Call me later, okay?"

The call ended. Barry clicked on the notification on his computer and opened it up. On the monitor, Phillipe was shown sitting on a chair in a room. Whether it was an office for a home outside of the country or a suite he was in out there, it definitely had a European feel to it.

"Monsieur Loren, what do I owe this pleasure?" Barry said.

 _"Ah, Barry, I have been told that there have been some problems lately,"_ Phillipe said. _"You did the right thing in filling me in on the stuff with Viola and Kiki, but I was told about how the Saints have been taking over some more of our businesses. I even heard that Grigor and Mr. Dickson were murdered. I know I underestimated the Saints leader before, but I am wondering if you are underestimating him."_

Barry took a deep breath. "Monsieur Loren, I don't how those two were killed, but I am going to find out soon. Matt and Killbane have been trying to make a move on the Saints as well"

 _"That's one thing I want to know,"_ Phillipe said. _"While I did not approve of Viola and Kiki helping out the enemy and they should pay for what they did, but I am starting to wonder if I should have left Mr. Dickson in charge of the Morningstar. I'm not worried about Killbane and Matt, I'm worried about you. The Morningstar has been going through a lot ever since my departure."_

"Mr. Loren, you got to understand, we're doing everything we could right now," Barry said. "There have been some issues with the sex-trafficking and prostitution right now."

 _"So I've heard,"_ Phillipe said. _"I'm starting to wonder if I should reschedule my business deal so I can come back and lead the fight. Killbane may be handling stuff with the Syndicate right now, but in regards to the Morningstar, you should be right on top of everything."_

"No, wait, I promise I will have the Saints taken care of," Barry said.

 _"Sorry, I have to go and I will be in the states within a couple of days,"_ Phillipe said. _"I shall see what should be done. Mr. Killbane may be leading the Syndicate right now, but I am still commanding everything from afar. I will see you soon. Ta ta."_

The video conversation ended. Sweat ran down Barry's face right after that. It was clear to Barry that things weren't looking up after all. He had to do something about the problem at hand. He was too focused on exposing and taking the DeWynter twins' rightful positions as heads of the Morningstar. Though he did help a bit with sending in some assassins dressed as strippers, there should have been more to it than that.

RING! RING! RING! Barry's cellphone rang, except this time Killbane was calling him.

"Hello," Barry said as he wiped his face with a paper towel and took a deep breath.

_"Barry, it's Killbane. I'm going to need you to come by the 3 Count Casino later on. We have something to discuss."_

"I'm way ahead of you there," Barry said.

 _"We just need to discuss what we should do about our problem with the Saints,"_ Killbane said. _"Remember, I'm the general. We just need to talk. Matt needs to be in on this as well."_

"Got it," Barry said and hung up. He took a few deep breaths and continued to sweat. Though he was a snake, when it came to someone above him in the hierarchy, he realized he bit off more than he could chew in all of this. But deep down, he knew that he could be a good leader. He just had to prove his worth.

* * *

It had been a few days, nearly a week since Kiki was put in the hospital after that beating she took at the hands of the Morningstar. To both her and Viola, things could have been much worse. If the Luchadores were involved, they would have overpowered her and probably broke more bones in her body. Though she and Viola could handle themselves, they couldn't do much in that situation.

Viola pulled up in front of the building where their condo was in their Temptress. She got out of the driver's side and went to the passenger's side and opened the door and helped Kiki get out. Thought Kiki struggled a bit, she could move a lot better. When she said that she would be better in about a day or two, she was clearly not ready, at least she didn't think so. She needed a little more time.

"How are you feeling?" Viola said.

"I think I'm fine now," Kiki said.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Viola said. "Let's go inside."

The sisters went into their condo. Kiki limped a bit, but things could have been worse. Viola watched as her sister moved a bit and guided her to the couch. Kiki got to the couch and sat down.

"Hey, I have an idea on how to get back at the Syndicate," Viola said.

Kiki looked up. "What? What do you have in mind?"

"Listen, I heard somewhere that the Saints fucked shit up at Safeword last night," Viola said. "I even heard that they took over the place and took some of the girls there. Also, remember that a boat was supposed to come and bring in some more women for the business?"

"Okay, what's your point?" Kiki said.

"I think we should help the Saints," Viola said.

Kiki quickly looked at her sister at a moment's notice. "Are you serious?"

"It shouldn't hurt to try," Viola said. "We have targets on our backs and we lost our rightful positions to those two assholes. We got to do something about this."

Kiki nodded her head. "You're right."

"I'll make a call to them soon," Viola said.

Both sisters hugged each other. It was time to fight back against the Syndicate.


	24. The Ho Boat

It was noon at the Saints HQ. Vince had just gotten up after the wild night he had. He was drugged, shot at, and to top it off, went through all of this completely naked. Though he was a bit upset with Zimos for this, he realized that this plan worked. It wasn't long until the Saints had started to take over Safeword. He even texted some of his soldiers to start guarding the place. The next step was to renovate the place.

But he felt that the fight against the Morningstar wasn't done. Sure, he knew that he should try going after the Deckers and Luchadores next, but ever since he and the rest of the Saints came to Steelport, the Morningstar was the main thorn on their side. He even wondered if three years back, when Shaundi informed of a deal with the Brotherhood and some European organization at Wardill Airport if it was them.

He got up and went to take a shower. Oleg went to help Kinzie out on her own stuff. Angel didn't take part in too much of their activity, at least not when it involved the Morningstar or the Deckers. Johnny and Pierce went to go handle some other things. Like before, Shaundi was the only one left at the HQ.

After Vince got out of the shower, he had wrapped a towel around his waist to help finish getting ready.

"Hey, Vince, I…," a female voice said. Vince looked up and saw Shaundi standing by a door. She went full stop, her eyes widened, and her mouth opened a tad as she gazed at the sight of her leader's muscular frame, with his pectorals and abdominals visible, along with some tattoos on him.

"Oh, hey, Shaundi, is something wrong?" Vince said in a calm fashion.

"Oh, just wanted to see what you were up to," Shaundi said.

"Well, you could have knocked," Vince said.

"I know, it's just that I didn't expect to see you like this," Shaundi said.

"I see," Vince said and walked over to the closet. "Let me put some clothes on and then we'll talk."

"Okay," Shaundi said and she walked out of the room, but as soon Vince's back was turned, she leaned in a bit to take a peek at him once again. Not like looks and body type was that important, especially with her promiscuous past and seeing as she had slept with Veteran Child, Derek, and Zimos in the past, it seemed that she didn't have a type. But right now, she felt a bit funny at this sight and she had seen him in a state of undress before. So why was she feeling this way?

Vince had put on a white Saints letterman jacket with some jeans and a plain black T-shirt underneath. He also grabbed a pair of sunglasses.

"So, Shaundi," Vince said. "I was wondering about some of our old homies and contacts back in Stilwater. I was wondering if any of them could help."

"Who do you mean?" Shaundi said.

"Well, I was wondering if Tobias could try to help us sometime," Vince said. "Yes, I know Pierce could fly a helicopter sometimes and we know some other helicopter pilots, but I was wondering if he could come down and help us."

"Well, I guess he could," Shaundi said. "I talked to him a bit recently. He and Laura are still doing their thing, especially with Richie. One of Laura's kids is in their senior year and another has started high school as well, so a lot of their business is on Tobias and Richie right now as she is trying to help her kids. I could see if he should help us."

"Cool, anyway, I got to go help out Zimos again," Vince said. "We're closing in on the Morningstar. This could be it for us and then we move on the other two gangs in the Syndicate. You can come along if you want."

"Not right now," Shaundi said.

"Well, if shit gets heavy, I'll call you," Vince said. "I'll call you if I find something."

Shaundi nodded and watched him leave. It was weird. She wondered if she felt something for him deep down, but she never really expressed it. In some ways, she felt a bit of some sexual tension with Pierce, but he was often into his own stuff. Johnny, well she did care a lot about him, enough to want to avenge his death, but she wasn't sure if he was completely over Aisha's death. However, lately she had wondered about Vince.

But right now, she needed to see about contacting someone, as she felt that the Saints were getting into something big.

Vince had exited the elevator in the garage and went for his Phoenix, as he had acquired one rather recently. He got out his phone and went for the one person he needed to call.

 ** _"Hey, Playa,"_** Zimos said.

"Zimos, I need you to tell me how to hit the Morningstar," Vince said.

 _ **"I can probably come up with somethin', when do you want this by?"**_ Zimos said.

"Right now," Vince said.

 ** _"Shit, you don't make it easy,"_** Zimos said.

"Never said I would," Vince said.

 _ **"All right, come get me and we'll…,"**_ Zimos said.

Vince heard a sound and looked on his screen. It appeared that an unsaved number came up on the screen.

"Hold on a sec, Z," Vince said. "Someone's calling."

Vince clicked over. "Hello?"

A female voice said, _"I don't have much time, so listen carefully. There's a container of girls being brought into Steelport by ship to replace the ones the Morningstar lost raiding the Saints, as well as the Saints taking some from them. I've sent you which ship they're on."_

"Who is this?" Vince said.

 _"Do what you want with them, I don't care,"_ the woman said.

"I'm not doing shit until you tell me who you are," Vince said.

_"Viola DeWynter, formerly of the Morningstar."_

"Wait, what?" Vince said and the call quickly ended. Zimos's call was back online.

"Zimos, change of plan," Vince said. "Get Pierce and Johnny, we got a boat to catch."

 ** _"Whatever you say, see you in a bit,"_ **Zimos said.

Vince got into his Phoenix and was headed off to the docks in Salander. He put it on K-Rhyme FM, as "Respect" from Tha Dogg Pound started playing. That station did sometimes play some old school rap and this was one of those days.

The question on his mind was why this woman was helping him out. He even wondered if he heard her correctly when she said "formerly of the Morningstar." In either case, he was ready to put more of a hurt on them now and then tie up any loose ends later, but first things first.

* * *

It was the afternoon. Vince had arrived to the docks and got out a pair of binoculars to get a good look of the ship that out at sea. It wasn't far from them. Zimos was close by, but Vince was told that Pierce and Johnny would arrive by chopper when needed.

 _"Lot a pussy on that thing,"_ Zimos said when he walked up beside Vince.

A hobo came up to both men asking them for a cigarette, with Zimos having a cigarette of his own and putting it in the hole on his neck and signaled to the hobo to go away.

 _"And once it's ours, the Morningstar's sex operation is done,"_ Vince said.

Through Vince's vision, several Morningstar soldiers stood near some crates, armed, with one woman sitting on the floor crying, and another being shoved into a crate.

 _"How you gonna move all the bitches?"_ Zimos said.

"Eh, just let me worry about that," Vince said. "Now let's go, I want to meet my new employees."

Vince and Zimos walked away, as Vince handed the binoculars to the hobo, who was looking through the wrong end.

Vince saw a Shark jet-ski near the docks. He got on, while Zimos sat behind him.

"Just need to say this, Z," Vince said. "Maybe these girls won't try to kill us."

 _"See, you had to bring that up again,"_ Zimos said.

"Crazy bitches with guns _are_ memorable," Vince said.

Vince started up the jet-ski and they were off to the boat. It was quite a distance from the docks to the boat.

 _"You taking your time gettin' there?"_ Zimos said.

"You want to drive this thing?" Vince said.

 _"Hey, just checkin', baby,"_ Zimos said.

At the speed they traveled, it wasn't long until the reached the ramp to get on the boat. Sure, they had to step into the water before going up, but that was expected. They ran up to the main deck and saw a lot of the Morningstar crawling around close the crates.

"Hey, once you find the girls, send 'em to me," Zimos said. "I'll keep 'em safe."

"I'm sure you will," Vince said.

Vince saw a Morningstar soldier at the top of a stack of crates. _Man, why is he open like that?_

He wasted no time in getting out his D4TH Blossom submachine gun that was hanging on his back and blasted that guy and watched as his body fell off the stack. Another soldier came out and Zimos blasted him with his Grave Digger shotgun.

"This place will be crawling with assholes," Vince said. "Man, if only I had more support with me."

 _"Pierce and Johnny should be here soon, playa,"_ Zimos said.

Now it was time to check the crates. The first crate was right close to port. Vince went forth and opened it and saw that it was nothing but weapons inside.

"They certainly stock up," Vince said. "I think I'll take a few of these."

Vince picked up a few magazines just in case he needed to reload. He also picked up a K-8 if he needed to switch between that and his D4TH. Some of the other crates seemed locked, except for one. He opened it and saw that there were more arms in there, as well as extra ammunition and frag grenades if needed.

"There they are!" a couple of Morningstar soldiers came running towards the two Saints and quickly opened fire.

Zimos ran behind a crate as a hail of gunfire went his way. Vince dropped to avoid a few shots coming towards him. While he was on the floor, he let out five shots to the soldier's legs, with blood spraying out of the limbs as the man shrieked from the pain.

The man dropped to the ground and the gun was right close to him. But Vince kicked the gun out of the way and looked down at the man.

"I'm usually not this nice, depending on the situation, but I thought maybe I could cut you a break," Vince said.

Vince walked away and the man looked on like he was shocked that he let him live, even though he may not walk again.

Vince walked around the crates and heard a growl coming out of one of them. He went forth and found another unlocked crate and opened it, only to find a machine with some dildos close by.

"What the hell are these for?" Vince said.

Close by, a sound was heard of a woman pleading to be let out through a crate. Vince figured that was a crate with women inside. He went up to that particular crate and opened it up and saw two women who were cowering. They were dressed rather provocatively.

One of them looked and said, "Thank you, kind stranger."

"You're welcome," Vince said. "Stay by the guy with the big 'Z.'"

Zimos walked up to the two ladies and gave them the "come on" signal.

 _"Come on, baby, follow the Z,"_ Zimos said.

The two women walked out, with their hands close to their faces and their bodies trembling at what just happened to them. Zimos guided the two ladies to follow him. Vince went back to go check out some of the crates on the ship.

A few more Morningstar soldiers ran out with weapons drawn, ready to open fire. BOOM! A blast had occurred. Vince stood right before the explosion as he let out a few shots to a pile of missiles that were close to some rockets. But more growling was heard from a crate. The doors to said crate burst open, as a brute came out and started running towards Vince.

"Shit, who the fuck who put _him_ in a box?!" Vince yelled.

He saw another stack of missiles right by that crate and quickly shot at them, causing another explosion. But it wasn't enough to take down that brute. He knew that it took a lot to take down those things. It made him wonder if any brute he came across were the remnants of Loren's cloning operation. After all, the Saints blew up the Syndicate Tower.

The brute was in flames and picked up an oil drum and threw it, but missed. Vince unloaded an entire magazine on him, until the brute dropped to one knee.

This always does the trick. Vince got out a frag grenade and ran towards him, pulled the pin off and shoved the grenade right into the brute's mouth and kicked him down. BOOM! The brute's head blew off, blood came out of where the head used to be, as well as splattered over some of the other crates the floor.

Vince heard some more female voices. More of the Morningstar came after him. Though the crates were made of metal, it wasn't a guarantee that the bullets wouldn't go through the crates. So he pistol-whipped a soldier and turned around, got out a flash-bang grenade that he picked up inside that crate and dropped it, causing a big flash. He went for the one in that was in front of him and grabbed him by the head and hurled it right towards a crate. He went for another who was ready to flank him and grabbed him and went close to starboard. He picked him up and threw him over the deck and he fell into the water. Whether the guy could swim was none of his concern. He just wanted him out of the way.

He opened it up. Saw two more women with the same level of emotion that the previous two felt. One of them looked up at him.

"Thank you for freeing me," one of them said.

Zimos was behind him with the other two women from before.

"Get moving and stay with him," Vince said.

Zimos signaled to the two women. _"I'll keep you safe, sugar."_

Vince opened another crate. Inside was a bed of some sort, like an operating table, maybe for kink or maybe torture.

"These guys are fucked up," Vince said.

He saw that more crates were on this boat. Some were even on higher deck as there were flights of stairs present. He went up. Another crate burst open. This time the brute was packing heat.

 _Fuck me._ Vince thought.

The brute quickly started firing his mini-gun. Vince found a couple of more frag grenades that he picked up and had in his jacket. He pulled the pins from both of them and chucked them at the brute. The explosions incapacitated him a bit and went forth to open fire before the brute started shooting. He fired at the head until the brute dropped. Vince looked down. The brute didn't move. More female voices were heard close by. He went right for that crate and opened it.

One woman looked up as she knelt close to a woman who was lying down. She gave a laugh of relief.

"I'm actually free!" the woman said.

"Stick with us, you'll be safe!" Vince said.

Like before, Zimos guided the two women.

 _"Damn, ain't you a fine little thing,"_ Zimos said.

Vince went up the stairs and saw more crates. "Jesus, how many crates did they bring in?"

He opened one crate, more weapons and ammo.

 _Now we're talkin'._ He thought.

He opened another. He saw a weird sex toy with some kind of fist action.

 _This is like my freshman dorm._ He thought.

But at the end, close to the foreword of the ship, more female voices were heard. This had to be the last set of women to be picked up.

 _"We better load these bitches up before your boys get here,"_ Zimos said.

"Got it," Vince said and opened up the crate.

He turned to the women inside and also the women with Zimos.

"You want out of here, you get in the crate," Vince said.

One of the women said, "I've been in there so long already. One day, I'll be free!"

Motors were heard close by, like boats and helicopters.

 _"They're comin' for the boat,"_ Zimos said.

"I hear 'em," Vince said.

 _"Think I saw some big firepower layin' on those platforms on the sides,"_ Zimos said. _"Don't worry about me, I'll keep the ladies safe."_

"On it, Z," Vince said. He ran forth to one of the platforms. He jumped the railing to head there as he saw a mini-gun lying there. He looked to his right. Helicopters, boats, jet-skis, they were on their way. Someone must have tipped off the Morningstar.

 _Damn, and I thought taking the Brotherhood's weapon shipment was bad._ Vince thought.

Vince's phone rang. He pushed the button on his earpiece.

 _"I ain't getting'too close until it's clear down there,"_ Pierce said.

"Is Johnny with you?" Vince said.

 _"Yeah, he's right here,"_ Pierce said.

"Well, I'll clear them off, but if there's anyone left, tell him to clear them off as well," Vince said.

 _"Got it, Boss,"_ Pierce said.

Vince's phone rang once again.

 _"Hey, Boss,"_ Shaundi said.

"Hey, what's up?" Vince said.

 _"Just bringing in some extra support, I'm with him right now,"_ Shaundi said.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up, what's going on?" Vince said.

 _"Tobias is flying the helicopter right now,"_ Shaundi said. _"Thought you needed extra support."_

"He better not be high," Vince said. "I got shit to do right now. I'll let you know when it's clear."

The call ended. He stood on the platform on the port side. The vehicles were getting close. He quickly unloaded a lot of rounds to the boats, jet-skis, and any chopper flying towards them. He managed to down a few of the watercrafts, but the helicopters had snipers. He took down at least one, but heard some clanking sounds as some sniper bullets barely missed him.

 _Oh fuck._ He thought. But he didn't give up. He continued to shoot at any aircraft and watercraft that was coming towards them. But more just kept coming. For a gang that was getting weaker by the day, they still had more resources.

Vince's phone rang once again. He answered.

 _"We're almost there,"_ Pierce said. _"Hold them off while we're coming in."_

"We're on it, Pierce," Vince said.

 _"You think they ain't happy with us?"_ Zimos said as he stood close by.

"They'll get over it," Vince said.

Zimos went to the crate with the women inside.

"It's alright if you need to hold each other," Zimos said to the women. "We'll be out of here in no time."

More gunfire came out as the other helicopters caught fire and crashed into the boat and into the water below. He looked up and saw Johnny on the side of one chopper. He saw Shaundi on the side of the other chopper. He looked up. Both of his fellow Saints waved at him. He waved at them as well.

"Alright, Pierce, we're clear," Vince said.

 _"Let's load these hos up then and get the hell out of here,"_ Pierce said.

The call ended. Vince looked around and saw Zimos down there trying to protect the ladies.

"Feels like these guys knew we were coming," Vince said.

 _"Morningstar always protect their shipment,"_ Zimos said. _"It ain't nothin' new."_

"With this many guards?" Vince said.

 _"Like I always say, pussy's big business in this town,"_ Zimos said.

"You got that right," Vince said.

A couple of helicopters flew their way. One was a cargo helicopter, which Pierce was flying with Johnny in the cockpit. He had the door open in case he had to do some shooting.

Zimos went to the helicopter Vince was going but kept an eye on the ladies as well.

 _"Here's the heli, time to go, ladies!"_ Zimos said.

Another helicopter, which was an Oppressor flew towards Vince. Shaundi rode in it, with a shirtless man flying it. He had dreadlocks and a helmet with a cannabis leaf on it.

"Hey, Boss, here I am," Shaundi said.

"Great timing," Vince said and climbed into the chopper. "Hey, Tobias."

"Hey, man," Tobias said.

"I brought you something," Shaundi said and got out an Annihilator RPG launcher.

"My favorite," Vince said.

"I have something with me," Shaundi said and got out an AR-55.

Zimos got into the cockpit with Tobias.

_"Hey there, I'm Zimos."_

"Hey, man, I'm Tobias, I helped out the Saints before."

 _"I see, anyway, you looking for a good time?"_ Zimos said. _"I got me some fresh ladies here."_

"Appreciate the offer, man, but I'm married," Tobias said.

 _"Oh I hear ya,"_ Zimos said.

The other helicopter had hooked the crate. It was open. As it ascended, one of the ladies was hanging on for dear life as she held onto one of her fellow hooker's hands.

"Okay, let's go," Vince said and looked to Tobias. "Keep us close to Pierce."

"You got it, man," Tobias said.

Lucky for the ladies, the one who was hanging was successfully pulled into the crate. Unlucky for the Saints, however, more of the Morningstar awaited them to start going, as some boats were still at sea with soldiers wielding rocket launchers.

 _"Shit, are those rockets?"_ Pierce said. _"Get them off me!"_

From the other side of Pierce's helicopter, gunfire went downward as Johnny kept firing and firing at anybody who went their way.

"Just keep going, Shaundi and I'll take care of them," Vince said.

Vince fired at any boat that went towards Pierce's chopper. Shaundi did the same with her AR-55. Many of the boats blew up and sunk into the water.

Both choppers flew, except Tobias flew ahead of Pierce, who noticed more boats kept coming their way.

 _"Another group down there,"_ Pierce said.

"We see 'em," Vince said.

He fired a rocket at one. Shaundi loaded another magazine into her rifle. She opened fire. It didn't matter if she hit a person or the boat, as long as it could lead to taking out the watercraft. Vince loaded another rocket and launched it at a boat.

"Why are they aiming at us?" Tobias said.

"Probably because they want us dead, just keep flying," Vince said.

"Okay, man, take it easy," Tobias said.

Vince, Johnny, and Shaundi kept firing at whoever went their way. Shaundi looked around and noticed a red laser going around.

"Oh shit, Boss!" Shaundi said.

"Fuck, snipers," Vince said and fired a rocket at one of the snipers close to a bridge.

"Pierce, hang a left!" Vince said.

 _"Are those APC's?"_ Pierce said.

"Don't worry, I'll get 'em off you," Vince said.

Vince found some more rocket-propelled grenades nearby and kept loading them when necessary. He fired at any of them he could take down. The choppers turned left.

 _"Jesus, they're all over the damn roofs!"_ Pierce said.

"On it," Vince said and turned to Shaundi. "Get ready."

"You got it," Shaundi said and loaded another clip into the rifle.

 _"A little more cover'd be nice,"_ Pierce said.

Vince and Shaundi fired at any Morningstar soldiers that were on the roofs. Some of them were snipers that were outside of the helicopters. Johnny even provided some fire from the other helicopter. Vince fired another rocket towards any helicopter. If he wasn't going to take down a sniper head on, the blast from the helicopter certainly will.

 _"Hey, Boss, Aimee and Rocco are bringing a truck, would this be a good place to meet them?"_ Pierce said.

Vince looked down and noticed the Ultor factory on Arapice Island. There were some open spots and seemed to be void of any Morningstar, despite knowing that was where the Luchadores rolled.

"This would be a good spot," Vince said. "Tell them to meet us at this place."

Vince's phone rang again. The call went through.

 _"You have something that belongs to me,"_ a man with a British accent said.

"Who is this?" Vince said.

 _"Someone who is willing to bargain,"_ the young man said. _"Bring the girls back to the Morningstar and I'll pay you top dollar a head."_

"I'll think about it," Vince said.

 _"That's all I'm asking,"_ the young man said.

Zimos turned around. _"What was that about?_ "

"The Morningstar want to buy their girls back," Vince said.

 _"I can't do my thing if I got no pussy to sell,"_ Zimos said. _"The money won't come quick, but you bet it'll come."_

Shaundi looked at Vince, who nodded.

"Why have a famous Steelport pimp if we aren't using him," Vince said. "The girls are all yours, Z. Put 'em to good use."

The helicopters landed. Pierce's landed first, as the crate lowered. A BPS truck drove in. A young woman with pigtails and glasses came out, as well as an African-American man with a black and purple fedora and black and purple clothing came out. They were Aimee and Rocco.

The Oppressor landed. Everyone got out of their helicopters.

"Thanks for flying us, Tobias," Vince said.

"No problem," Tobias said. "I have flown through Steelport before. If you ever want another favor, just call. Now I got to go see Laura."

"Tell Laura I said hello and to send me some snickerdoodles sometime," Vince said.

"Will do," Tobias said and flew away.

"Wow, that was a trip," Shaundi said.

Johnny approached everyone.

"Damn, Boss, that was a hell of a rush," Johnny said. "It was a little uncomfortable where I was, though."

"Don't worry about it," Vince said.

Zimos guided the ladies to the truck.

"Hey, Boss," Saint Rocco said. "Aimee and I brought the truck. What do you say we roll with y'all?"

"You two can ride with them in the back, keep an eye on them," Vince said.

"Sure thing, Boss!" Aimee said.

"Hey, Boss," Johnny said. "Me, Pierce, and Shaundi will meet you guys back at the crib."

"All right, see you there," Vince said and headed to the cab of the truck, as did Zimos. They made their decision. They're taking the girls for themselves.

* * *

**3 Count Casino Sport Book**

Inside this area, Killbane paced in front of the TV, where Senator Monica Hughes was shown giving another address.

"What the hell were you thinking, Matty?" Killbane said.

"It just seemed like a waste to lose all those girls," Matt said, with Barry sitting next to him.

Killbane turned towards both men. " _I_ am the general, I'm the czar, I'm the Walking Apocalypse, and I make the decisions, not you!"

Killbane paused and took a deep breath. "Besides, this is Barry's problem. You shouldn't stick your nose where it doesn't belong!"

Barry turned to look at Matt.

Killbane picked up a steel chair, ready to swing at Matt.

"My bad, mate," Matt said. "So what happens now?"

Killbane yelled. "We buckle down. We focus. We don't do a run-in, we hit 'em with a Montreal screw-job."

Killbane paused again. "Yeah, that's it, now listen up you two. We have a way to take down the Saints. We all need to work together on this."

* * *

On the TV screen, Senator Hughes continued her address. The headline read "Breaking: Senate in Favor of S. Con. Res. 187." Under the headline, it read, "Resolution passes unanimously; STAG to begin deploying troops immediately; Steelport under martial law."

Monica Hughes said, _"And now, my esteemed colleagues, the time is now. We have deployed STAG to Steelport."_

She received applause for that. It was now time for STAG to take on the gang problem that Steelport was suffering from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, what a chapter this was. First and foremost, I wasn't initially planning on including Tobias in this story, but then the idea hit me. He could join in on some favors and stuff, but that's about it. I doubt I will have Laura appear, though I found her character funny as she was a typical housewife/soccer mom who was a nice woman, but dealt in drugs.
> 
> I thought it would be better to have the other Saints involved, even though there wasn't much dialogue for Johnny in this one.
> 
> As you can see, I am going to the STAG bit soon, but I am a bit on the fence as to how I should do it. Not so much on how things will go down, but what I should do first or if I should do them interchangeably. Feel free to ask me about it in a comment.
> 
> In the meantime, I will also tie up loose ends. Stay tuned.


	25. Gang Bang

It had been a day since Vince had helped Zimos get more of his business up and running. After getting some women from that boat that was used for human-trafficking, it seemed that the Saints had their own hand in Steelport's prostitution market.

But what puzzled Vince was the call he had received. He received a call from Viola DeWynter, whom he had met before. He had met her and her twin sister Kiki when they bailed them out of jail after the heist at the Stilwater 1st National Bank. It was mainly a publicity stunt for the Saints, but the twins escorted them so that they could have a chat with their employer, Phillipe Loren. Of course, everything went south on the plane that night. Ever since the Saints had been in Steelport, their goal was to take down the Syndicate.

So what possessed one of the DeWynter twins to give the Saints the tip on the boat? Even though he and Zimos went through a lot, as did others when getting the women, the main thing on Vince's mind was why this woman helped him. Even then, he felt that the Saints' conflict with the Morningstar was not over yet, but that won't stop him from tying up loose ends anytime soon. Then he will focus on the rest of the Syndicate and also taking down Phillipe Loren for real this time.

Vince was out and about. He felt he needed to be alone in all of this. This had been on his mind since he got up that morning. It was now around noon. He felt that Zimos deserved a bit of a break so that he could focus on his business. However, there was one other person with connection to the Morningstar who he felt needed to be called. He cruised around in his purple Phoenix and reached for his phone and pulled over, looked for that person and made the call and quickly went through.

 _"Hello, Boss,"_ said a man with a Russian accent.

"Oleg, you think I can trust Viola DeWynter?" Vince said.

 _"I think she, her sister, and her employer held me captive while harvesting my DNA,"_ Oleg said.

"Gee, guess you're holding a grudge," Vince said.

 _"I simply think one must question her motives,"_ Oleg said.

"Fair enough," Vince said and heard a beep sound, indicating that another call was coming in and recognized the number from the previous day. "Well speak of the devil, hang on a moment, Oleg."

Vince clicked over. "Hello."

 _"Hey, well looks like the information about the ship was useful,"_ Viola said.

"You want to meet, don't you?" Vince said.

Viola chuckled mildly. _"Is it that obvious?"_

"Are you coming alone?" Vince said.

 _"If I would have anybody with me, it would just be Kiki, but even I'm not so sure…,"_ Viola said.

"Both of you come," Vince said. "Send me your location and I'll consider coming."

 _"Well then, we'll be waiting for you,"_ Viola said. _"Meet us over at Merlot Park in Ashwood."_

"Will do," Vince said and clicked over. "Oleg, we have a meeting to get to. It's in Merlot Park in Ashwood."

 _"I'll be there,"_ Oleg said.

Vince started up his Phoenix and had it on K-Rhyme FM. Suddenly, a news report came on.

_"With the hope of an impromptu fireworks display, people looked up, only to see falling gun shells raining down into their eyes. The apparent theft of a cargo container gave citizens a scare as gunfire was heard in the skies above Steelport. Several helicopters flew through the city, dodging bullets coming from rooftops throughout the area. The contents of the container are unknown, though several people on the ground report it was leaking what they describe as 'smelling like urine.' This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Import News."_

After the news report was over, "Hood Gone Love It" from Jay Rock and Kendrick Lamar started playing. It was time to see what these two women have to say. Vince wasn't sure he could trust these twins, but if one of them willingly tipped him about the boat, maybe something else was up. There was only one way to find out.

* * *

Vince pulled up to the park. Oleg was already there. Even though a man of his stature could fit inside a car, a purple Criminal was seen pulling away. He was likely hauled on the bed of the truck.

"Hello, Boss," Oleg said.

Vince looked ahead and saw the twins walking towards a man playing the guitar in front of a fountain with naked women statues in it.

"Are you sure about this?" Oleg said.

"If one of them helped me recently, there has to be something that they want," Vince said. "But even I'm not too sure."

"Remember, I was held captive," Oleg said.

"I know, but I have experienced a lot in my time," Vince said. "We should see what they want."

The two Saints walked towards the twins. Viola put some change into the guitar case of the guitarist, as did Kiki.

"I didn't realize you two were patrons of the arts," Oleg said.

The twins turned to look up at the two Saints.

"We never had the chance to chat, what with you being a science experiment," Viola said.

"Though it must hurt not experiencing the arts for a while, huh?" Kiki said.

Oleg gritted his teeth a bit when her heard them say that.

"I wouldn't piss off the big guy," Vince said.

Viola sighed. "Look, we're not here to fight. We need to work together. We've been going through a lot lately."

"Right, and what is it that you went through?" Vince said.

"All kinds of stuff," Kiki said.

"And I'm supposed to care?" Vince said. "Remember, you two were with that French fuck and we got into some shit on the plane. It seems like a lot of people have been offering help to me lately, as well as asking for it."

"We're not with him anymore," Viola said.

"In fact, we left the Syndicate," Kiki said. "They fucked us over and they are ready to kill us."

"So what's in it for you?" Vince said.

"We get to watch Killbane and that fucking asshole Barry suffer," Viola said.

"As well as Phillipe," Kiki said. "In fact, we want to make all of the Syndicate pay."

Vince sighed and looked up towards Oleg. "Can you play nice?"

"I am always a gentleman," Oleg said.

Out of nowhere, sounds of motors were heard nearby on the road close to the river. Several people were just enjoying their day at the park. Vince and Oleg turned around and saw three gray vehicles come their way. The people at the park immediately started running out of the way of these vehicles.

"What is that?" Viola said.

"Nothing good, let's go!" Vince said.

Vince, Oleg, Kiki, and Viola started running away, whether it was through bystanders or even parked cars. From above, some kind of soldier, wielding a sniper rifle fired a bullet, only to hit an innocent bystander just walking by. The pedestrian wasn't lucky. A taxi cab pulled up and crashed into a parked Raycaster. It seemed that the cabbie wasn't so lucky, either.

But the vehicles didn't stop. Even when Vince slid over a parked car, Viola and Kiki ran through a gap, and Oleg jumped another parked car, the vehicles continued to chase after the quartet, even so much as ramming through the parked cars once they exited the park. One vehicle in particular followed them enough to turn in the exact same direction the quartet turned and went through an alleyway.

"Let's go through here!" Viola yelled as she found some doors, only to find that they were locked or stuck.

"Damn it!" Viola said.

As soon as that vehicle closed on them, as well as a soldier coming out of the roof to fire the turret on top, Oleg quickly kicked the doors open.

"Ladies first," Oleg said.

The twins got inside, and Vince and Oleg followed them inside. Oleg immediately closed the door as that soldier opened fire on the turret. It was a laser. More of the vehicles came into the alleyway, and the soldiers got out, armed with some unfamiliar weaponry.

* * *

In that same alley, a young African-American woman with short hair and the type of armor that those soldiers were wearing signaled to the other soldiers. It seemed like she led that team.

 _"Kia, status,"_ a male voice said through that woman's earpiece. It appeared that the woman's name was Kia.

"The Saints have taken cover with the DeWynter sisters," Kia said. "We're about to move in."

 _"Roger that, contact me once you secure the area,"_ the contact said.

"Yes, Commander," Kia said and the call had ended.

"All right, team," Kia said to her fellow soldiers. "Spread out, go in. They should be inside."

* * *

Vince, Oleg, and the DeWynter sisters looked around. They were in the storage area of some place, but what was it?

The twins had gotten out their .45 Shepherd pistols that they had just in case something went down. Vince got out his .45 Shepherd pistol and had his D4TH Blossom under the back of his jacket.

"Let's hope the front's clear," Viola said.

"Who were those guys?" Kiki said.

"Soldiers of some sort, though I don't recognize the uniforms," Oleg said.

"Whoever they are, they want us dead," Vince said. "Maybe Killbane sent mercs."

"He thinks his Luchadores are unstoppable," Viola said. "I doubt he'd ask them to sit this out."

"What about Matt Miller?" Vince said.

"Matt doesn't take part in things like this," Kiki said. "Even then, those two women who handle security and enforcement, I don't think they'd sit this one out either."

"So we got a new problem," Vince said. "That's great."

He looked around and saw a door. He led the way and opened it, only to find that they were inside Technically Legal. Several patrons were there, scantily-clad women were dancing on stage. Not for long, though, as big flash explosions occurred, blinding strippers and patrons. Luckily, Vince wore sunglasses. The twins actually wore their sunglasses over their eyes this time. Oleg was behind them, so the flash didn't affect him much.

It wasn't long until a body of a patron dropped, as did a stripper, when some of those soldiers ran out through the stage entrances wielding laser guns and fired lasers towards Vince and the others.

"Seriously, laser guns?!" Vince said. "Am I in a fucking sci-fi movie?"

Vince and the others saw an ATM and stood behind, as many of the lasers fired towards them, only to hit and drop other patrons. Some patrons were lucky, a few others, not so much.

Kiki leaned out a bit and fired a slug right to the helmet of a soldier on the rightmost stage. The orange glass broke, it had gotten darker with a touch of red on it and the soldier dropped right by the body of a dead stripper.

Viola used the same tactic and dropped a soldier as well, but that wasn't all of them. Some other ones stormed through the entrance with riot shields and fired, with so little regard to any innocent bystanders in the club.

Vince led the twins behind the bar, while Oleg went forth and used all of his brute strength to take down one of the soldiers. Glass broke from the bottles and glasses that were above them.

Many of the surviving patrons and strippers knew that they had to run out of there, but some dropped, because the soldiers just fired at will, with no care as to who got hit.

Vince quickly got up and fired seven rounds right to the helmet of a soldier, causing his body to drop right close to the bar and saw that the dropped a Viper Laser Rifle, Viper for short.

 _Let's see how this works._ Vince thought and picked it up and flanked a soldier holding a riot shield.

"Fuck this, let's get out of here!" Vince yelled as he went forth towards the main entrance with a lobby and some patrons getting out of the way of gunfire.

He held the door open, the twins and Oleg ran through it. Vince turned around, fired three bullets towards any of the other soldiers in the strip club and followed the others into the lobby. Surviving strippers and patrons just ran to get out of dodge. Oleg saw another door and barged through the doors, opening them.

The soldiers followed into the lobby. Before Oleg could close the doors, Vince let out three more shots from his pistol. One soldier threw a frag grenade right towards them. Oleg shut the doors and ran away, causing the soldiers to be affected by the blast of the grenade and some wood and rubble to fall from the ceiling.

Vince led the twins and Oleg up a flight of the stairs. He opened the door and saw that they were now on the roof. They all looked up and saw a fighter jet flying through the sky right near the Burns Hill Reactors.

"What the hell?" Vince said and turned around.

All four of them saw something irregular from a distance: an aircraft carrier ship, where some other aircrafts starting flying from. Vince had his Viper handy, as well as his .45. He handed Kiki his D4Th Blossom.

"Well this got worse," Vince said.

All of them saw some more jets flying over them, even some formed in a line.

"This place looks surrounded," Viola said.

"What the hell are those things flying in?" Vince said.

A different type of aircraft flew towards them. It had a different shape, almost like a helicopter and had wings on top, and fired lasers, too.

Oleg saw an elevator and the light on the button was off.

"They've cut the power to the elevator," Oleg said.

"I'll see if I can fix it," Viola said. "All of you cover me."

"You got it, sis," Kiki said.

Vince and Kiki fired their weapons right at that aircraft. Vince tossed a magazine right to Kiki in case she needed to reload. Vince fired lasers right at the plane. Smoke emitted from the aircraft as it flew away.

Oleg saw another similar aircraft descending towards a rooftop.

"They're dropping soldiers off up here," Oleg said.

 _"Saints, we have you surrounded!"_ a voice was heard through a speaker. _"Surrender now! You're trapped, there's nowhere to run!"_

Another aircraft dropped some more soldiers off on another rooftop. One of them fired a rocket towards them, but it only hit a roof.

"Well, that's just great," Vince said.

Vince and Kiki continued to fire away at any of those soldiers. What kinds of soldiers were they was what they wondered.

 _And here I thought that Ultor's Masako was bad._ Vince thought.

"Hey, I'll handle the assholes over on that end," Kiki said, pointing to their left. "You handle the guys in front of us."

Vince looked around and saw a McManus sniper rifle lying around. "You got it."

It was amazing that he found a rifle lying around like that. It shouldn't be much of a surprise because this was a crime-ridden city and that rifle was probably used from someone who used this rooftop as a vantage point. Oddly enough, the rifle was still loaded and another magazine lied around.

Vince looked right through the scope. The same four guys were on the roof with that water-tower. He aimed at each of their heads. They were all done.

Meanwhile, Kiki was still busy with her set. She managed to drop at least one soldier. Vince quickly looked towards the other set and fired at the other ones.

"Thanks," Kiki said.

"Don't mention it," Vince said.

Another one of those planes flew, except this time it was on the roof where the quartet was.

"More troops landing on the roof," Oleg said. "Let me handle these guys."

Oleg ran as the plane started to land to drop off those troops. As soon as they got off, he charged right at them, tackling them, causing their weapons to drop. He picked one of them up, who wielded an RPG launcher, and threw them over the ledge. Vince and Kiki walked closer as the other ones crawled to pick up their weapons. Vince fired lasers and Kiki fired bullets to ensure that those soldiers stay down.

"Not bad," Kiki said.

Vince smirked and nodded. He looked over at Viola.

"Viola, how's it going over there?" Vince said.

"I'm trying to hotwire an elevator while I'm being shot at," Viola said. "How do you think it's going?"

"Love the confidence there," Vince said, sarcastically.

"If you think you'd be better at it…," Viola said with an annoyed tone.

"No, no, that's all yours," Vince said.

"We got your back, sis," Kiki said.

More planes kept flying around. Another one of those particular planes descended onto a rooftop across the street.

 _"Come down from the roof, and you won't be harmed,"_ a voice said from a plane.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard that the last time," Vince said.

"Watch those snipers across the street," Viola said.

"Shit, more snipers?" Vince said and got out his rifle. He looked towards Oleg and Kiki and told them to hide behind those air conditioner units that were on the roof. Vince dropped all four of them with so much ease.

The crazy thing about all of this was that these soldiers were causing more damage than the Saints were. The lasers had broken off some of the rubble from the rooftop. It wasn't just from Technically Legal, but also neighboring buildings.

Vince looked down and saw some tanks and more of those transport vehicles that chased after them earlier. Considering where they were, some of them were fighting the Deckers as well. The tanks fired lasers as well.

He looked up as well, fighter jets flying over them this time.

"Incoming air…things!" Viola yelled as she continued to do her task.

Several aircrafts flew over them, firing lasers, causing damage to some of the buildings nearby and cars below.

"Hey, Oleg, you ever see this tech before?" Vince said.

"It's military grade, way beyond the private sector," Oleg said.

"That should worry me, shouldn't it?" Vince said.

"A little," Oleg said.

The fighter jets flew in. It would have to take a miracle to stop these guys.

"More of those high-tech jets!" Kiki yelled.

She saw that one of those guys that Oleg threw over the ledge had an RPG launcher, but was left on the roof. She picked it up and fired a rocket at the VTOL jet, causing it to lose control with a flame on the right wing. The pilot seemingly got it to fly away until the plan slowly descended to street level and BOOM!

"Viola, Kiki, you have any idea what's going on here?" Vince said.

"You tell me, they seem to be after you," Viola said.

"In this city, who isn't?" Vince said.

Kiki added, "Well it seemed like they aren't just after you guys, but there was a lot of focus on you."

"Except I don't know who or what these guys are or what their cause is," Vince said.

"I'm done," Viola said. "Let's get going."

Viola went and picked up a Viper rifle from a fallen soldier. Both of the twins were wielding those laser rifles now.

"Man, I feel like I'm in a sci-fi action movie," Kiki said. Viola chuckled at her sister's comment.

A fighter jet hovered right close to the rooftop of Technically Legal, firing a laser, blasting more of the rubble, bricks, and tarmac on the rooftop. Oleg looked directly at the pilot with a death glare.

 _"Give it up, you aren't escaping,"_ the pilot said.

"Enough of this," Oleg said and turned to his comrades. "You go, I'll get their attention."

"What the hell are you doing?!" Vince yelled.

Oleg started to run, much to the shock of his three comrades. He jumped right on the ledge of the roof and jumped right onto the nose of the jet.

"Come out of there, little man!" Oleg yelled and started hitting the glass on the cockpit of the plane, causing the pilot to lose control of the plane and firing more lasers on the rooftop of the strip club. Luckily, the laser didn't hit Vince or the twins. But it did leave a flame on the roof, as well as fired some missiles, causing some more property damage nearby as they hit some of the other buildings.

"All right, elevator's working again," Viola said.

"Let's get the fuck out of here," Vince said and looked up at the same jet.

 _Damn, Oleg, I hope you know what you're doing._ Vince thought.

Vince led the twins right into the elevator. It went down, right back into the strip club. It was empty, with the exception of the corpses of some fallen strippers, fallen patrons, and fallen soldiers.

"Shit," Vince said.

He and the twins looked around to make sure that no other soldiers were around.

"Okay, it seems clear," Vince said. "We'll head to the crib and hope they don't follow."

"You sure you can get us there?" Viola said.

"Sure? No, not really," Vince said.

"Well, that's just great," Kiki said.

A couple of other soldiers emerged from the front entrance of the strip club as they were seen at the door with the two cartoon ladies swinging on handcuffs. After having had enough to deal with for one day, the trio quickly opened fire and shot at a couple of soldiers until they were down.

"Let's go," Vince said.

The three of them ran right for the front entrance to the strip club and went through the doors. They saw a police car parked right front, as well as more of those transport vehicles and other soldiers ready to open fire.

"Oh shit!" Vince said. "Get in the cop car, quick!"

Vince ran right towards the driver's side. Viola went right for the front passenger's side, and Kiki went into the back seat. Vince started up the vehicle, sirens and lights immediately turned on, and he stepped on the gas the moment the car started.

"I'm taking you guys back to the crib," Vince said. "Just hold on."

Vince floored the police car and just drove through red lights and around any gunfire going their way.

"The Syndicate doesn't have the kind of pull to organize something on this scale," Viola said.

"Look around," Vince said. "I don't think these guys are being picky about which gang they're shooting at."

The streets looked like a warzone. Many bodies of civilians and Deckers were seen. Many buildings were damaged. Worst of all, those attack vehicles and tanks were rolling around. It was as if this city was now becoming a battleground.

"Then who called them in?" Kiki said.

"I'll worry about that when I'm not being shot at," Vince said.

When they crossed through Arapice Island, there were moments when they saw those soldiers getting into it with the Luchadores. Some bodies of Luchadores were even down, as well as bodies of those soldiers, along with innocent bystanders. Some lied in pools of their own blood. Some even had limbs cut off from all of the carnage.

Vince continued to drive fast on the road and made some shortcuts here and there to avoid being seen by those soldiers. Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Let me take this call," Vince said. "Hello?"

 _"Boss!"_ Shaundi said. _"Boss, are you seeing this? I'm getting reports from the crew that these guys, they're all over."_

"Looks like it's not just us they're after," Vince said.

 _"Who knows? We've been busy running for cover,"_ Shaundi said.

"Thanks, Shaundi, we'll be back soon," Vince said. "I hope."

Vince knew that he was getting close when he saw that he was in Sunset Park. He decided to cut right through the park, as he would go straight to the Saints HQ.

"Hold on, ladies," Vince said and stepped on the gas once again. Once the building was seen, he let go of the gas and coasted and hit the brakes. He steered the car so that he wouldn't go head on into the glass door.

He quickly got out of the car, as did Viola. Considering Kiki was in the back seat, he opened the doors to that area and Kiki quickly got out of there. They followed Vince right towards the elevator to go up to the penthouse.

DING! The elevator door opened. Vince led the twins into the place. They recognized this place alright. They've been here when there had been parties for the Morningstar before.

"Boss, there you are!" Shaundi said and looked over at the twins. "What are _they_ doing here? Aren't you Loren's girls?" She said in a condescending tone.

"Shaundi, relax," Vince said.

"What, you're making deals with the enemy now?" Shaundi said.

"Shaundi, let me explain," Vince said.

Through the window, a helicopter descended onto the helipad.

"Shit, is it those guys?" Viola said.

"Nah, they're with us," Vince said.

It wasn't long until Johnny and Pierce got into the penthouse.

"Shit, Boss, some crazy shit going on out there," Pierce said.

"Fuck, man, I have never seen anything like this before," Johnny said. "I know I took a few down myself, but those assholes were firing off these fucking lasers, man. They even have some type of shotgun I have never seen before. Fuck!"

Johnny then looked up and saw the twins. "Wait, hold on, what's going on here?"

"Oh, if you must know, Viola and Kiki came to me to see about trying to take down the Syndicate," Vince said.

"Wait, you two are Loren's girls, why the fuck are you…?" Johnny said.

"Johnny, wait, let us explain," Viola said.

Johnny went full stop. He knew he had heard that voice before.

"It's time we tell you what's going on," Kiki said.

Kiki's voice also sounded familiar to him.

"Wait a minute, Boss," Johnny said. "Something I need to say first. I think those two girls helped me out while Loren held me hostage."

In a quick moment, Vince, Shaundi, and Pierce looked directly at Johnny and then at the twins.

"What are you talking about?" Shaundi said.

"These two fed me a bit when Loren and the Syndicate held me hostage and also freed me," Johnny said. "Remember when I said that some ladies helped me get out?"

"It's true," Kiki said. "We've been having some problems with the Syndicate lately. I was tortured as well."

Viola cut in, "Maybe all of us should sit down and we can explain everything that had been going on with us."

Minutes later, everyone had some looks of shock on their faces. It was clear that they both told them everything that had happened.

"So you see, we have nowhere else to turn," Viola said. "All of the Syndicate wants us dead. We could leave Steelport, but knowing Phillipe, he has connections in various places."

"We could be dead by the time we leave Steelport," Kiki said. "Even if we left, they would have ways to find us."

Vince nodded. Much to everyone's surprise, Shaundi had look of mild concern on her face, as did Pierce. Johnny did, as well.

"All right, ladies, you two could help us," Vince said. Suddenly, his phone rang.

"Hey, Kinzie, what's up?" Vince said.

"Boss, I just want you to know that Oleg is okay," Kinzie said. "Some of our guys found him near Ashwood. He is a little beat. He limped when they found him close to Burns Hill. He managed to get away from the wreckage of that jet."

"Wait, Kinzie, how do you know about all of this?" Vince said.

"I know all and see all," Kinzie said. "He's safe. He's with me right now. Our guys brought him to a hospital."

"Thanks for letting me know, Kinzie," Vince said.

Right after that, Vince called Zimos and Angel. It turned out they were safe, but their areas were under attack as well. They just kept inside their hideouts. Zimos even kept some of his women safe.

* * *

**STAG Aircraft Carrier: Thermopylae**

On the aircraft carrier, several journalists gathered before a podium, where an older man with gray hair walked to deliver a speech. He wore the same type of armor, except it had more of dark gray shade to it with an orange collar and an Ultor symbol on the back. This man looked like a hardened veteran, who had seen it all, likely served in the Vietnam War and the Gulf War, among others. Kia stood right next to him as he was ready to deliver his speech.

Over the podium, a banner with stars and stripes read "Mission Accomplished: Job Done" on it.

"My name is Cyrus Temple, commander of the Special Tactical Anti-Gang Unit," the man said. "I'm here to answer your questions about the STAG Initiative."

Many of the journalists, including Jane Valderamma, raised their hands for Cyrus to pick who should go first.

"Hello, Alex Aquino, Steelport Times, one question, please," said a male journalist in a red suit with a green and maroon shirt, he looked to be Filipino. "How long will STAG be occupying Steelport?"

Temple said, "There is no occupation. We have the full support of Mayor Reynolds."

More journalists vied for attention, until one was selected.

"How will STAG impact our daily lives?" Jane Valderamma said.

"When we win the war on urban terror, you and your families will be safe again," Temple said.

"Sir, that not's not what I asked," Jane said.

Temple said, "Let me tell you about Jessica Parish, a girl from Stilwater who ran away from home to be with her tough-guy boyfriend. Jessica thought her life was pretty sweet, until a gang-banger kidnapped her, threw her in the trunk of a car, and laughed as her boyfriend crushed her in a monster truck rally. If Jessica Parish was your daughter, how far would you want me to go?"

Jane looked down when she heard him say that. She recalled her colleague Jack Armstrong touching on a story about that three years prior when someone had been crushed.

"Thank you for your time," Temple said. He and Kia walked off the podium.

* * *

Inside Barry's office, he looked down at what was going on. With his boss Phillipe Loren coming back to Steelport soon, he needed to find a way to get back at the Saints. He had received calls from Killbane and Matt about the trouble that had been going on that day. With Phillipe coming in the following day, he planned to meet him at Wesley Cutter International.

But he also knew that he was responsible for having Vince Shane, the leader of the Saints eliminate his fellow colleagues in the Morningstar. There had to be a way to take him out.

He looked through his inbox and found an e-mail from someone named Dexter Jackson at Ultor. He opened it and it read:

_Hello, you may not know me, but I have a hand in some stuff here in Steelport. I understand that you have some issues that need to be dealt with and I am familiar with them myself. For that, I can provide you with someone who can take care of the problem. If you have any questions, call me at the number on my signature or respond to this message. Thank you._

He saw that the email had an attachment. He opened it up. It was a profile of an assassin. This person was a woman, brunette, rather attractive. On her profile it read her name, but her alias/codename read "Cypher" and was said to be "Extremely dangerous."

Barry nodded his head and smirked a bit at this. It was time to put an end to the Saints once and for all. Without a leader, it should be easier for the Morningstar, as well as the rest of the Syndicate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this one. Don't worry, Barry will get his deserved fate sometime soon, but I had thought of pointing in the character of Cypher in this and found a way. Just like with Dex, I had to think of a way, but I found it for both of them. For those who don't know, Cypher was the character from the cancelled Saints Row downloadable game, "Saints Row: Money Shot." As for my change in Ultor having influence in STAG, if you look closely at Cyrus's collar on his armor, as well as Kia's, you will see the Ultor logo. So I thought why not have them connected, even though STAG had some government influence.
> 
> Initially, I had a hard time deciding if Vince and Oleg would meet just Viola, or both of the twins. I decided it to be both of them. They will have more to do soon. Just wait.
> 
> Next up, the Saints tie up some loose ends before dealing with STAG. Stay tuned.


	26. One Loose End

It was morning. Vince woke up from a…rather eventful day. It was a just a normal day in the weekend. People were out doing things at a park, until suddenly some military group with such advanced technology made their presence known by attacking gangs in Steelport. He, along with Oleg and the DeWynter twins were the primary targets, despite the gangs also targeting the Deckers, the Luchadores, and whatever was left of the Morningstar.

That didn't stop him from getting out a bit when night fell. Though the rest of his Saints stayed in for safety, some of the others went to try to gain some info on this new group known as the Special Tactical Anti-Gang Unit, better known as STAG. When hours had passed after the initial attack, it appeared that things had cooled down.

One puzzling thing that he heard on a newscast was a direct quote from Commander Cyrus Temple. He had heard him mention a Jessica Parish and went into detail about what had happened a few years prior. How did Cyrus Temple know about that? Was he connected to her in some way? He was bound to find out eventually.

He went to Zimos to check on him. Zimos told Vince that he and the ladies were okay. There were fellow Saints in the New Colvin area keeping watch on any activity. Zimos informed him that there were some parts of New Colvin that needed to be taken over. The airport, Camano Place, and the fact that Andre, an old rival of Zimos's and the new head of the Morningstar's prostitution business, was still breathing, Vince realized that his business with the Morningstar was not over, at least not yet.

Zimos had told Vince that in order to draw out Andre, he needed to take out any of workers that were still roaming the streets. He gave Vince the areas where they were, so that he wouldn't get them mixed up with Z's girls. So he did the job and caused more issues with the Morningstar. Andre came out, strapped, along with the trio from Safeword.

It wasn't really much of anything to him. All he did was throw a grenade the moment Andre and the three women came out and BOOM! The job was done.

But there was only one person left on the list of the Morningstar. He had received a message from a mysterious source, talking about how he had done some jobs for a man named "Rasputin." Vince was informed that the man's name was Barry Danko, whose name he had heard when the DeWynter sisters told him and the others about. Both Viola and Kiki told Vince about this man, about all the hell he put the twins through.

Here, it was said that Barry had put a contract out on Vince. It didn't say why, whether it was because he outlived his usefulness or just another form of betrayal. If someone issued a contract out on him, he figured that he would be doing the twins a favor, as well as typing up one loose end before shifting his focus on the rest of the Syndicate, as well as STAG.

The message he received said that Barry was expecting a helicopter and to meet him at a particular building. He was given the address. It was now on. He was ready to put an end to the Morningstar.

He headed out to the helipad, dressed like a professional, with his dark gray suit and purple shirt and the vest having the Saints symbol as buttons. He brought a couple of Kobra pistols and holstered him in his jacket and brought a couple of D4TH Blossoms, all of which had suppressors on them.

"Wait," a female voice said as Vince approached the door to the patio area. Vince turned around and saw that it was Viola, who had stayed at the penthouse, along with Kiki.

"Oh, Viola, hey," Vince said.

"Listen, I want to go with you on this," Viola said. "I have more of a reason to take out Barry than you do. I want to make him suffer for what he did to me, did to Kiki, everything."

"I don't know about this," Vince said.

"Look, that guy forced me to watch Kiki get brutally tortured," Viola said. "I know she is doing better now, but I can't stop thinking that that piece of shit is still breathing the same air as me and her."

It was clear to Vince that Viola wanted revenge, especially after all what she and her sister went through.

"Listen, I get where you're coming from," Vince said. "And I know that you and Kiki can hold your own after what I saw out there, but this is something that I need to do on my own. I got this."

Viola sighed, looked down, and looked to her left.

"Look, we got the rest of the Syndicate to take out," Vince said. "You can give us more information soon. Besides, this is just a job. I'll be back soon."

Viola sighed once again, "Okay, Boss."

"You and your sister can call me Vince if you want," he said.

"Okay…Vince," Viola said.

Vince nodded and went to the helipad and got in and started the Oppressor helicopter. He started getting used to being called by his real name. He felt it was time to let others address him as such.

Once he started up the chopper, the radio came on with a news report.

_"As if Steelport was an enemy nation, military vehicles rolled into the streets while troops deployed all over the city. This invasion of armed forces, known as the STAG Initiative, vows to end the death and destruction that has plagued our streets. Upon their arrival, a raid was conducted on a popular night club, where the head of one such criminal organization was said to be hiding. Several people were shot and killed in the ensuing firefight while property damage is estimated in the hundreds... of thousands. This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Safety Update."_

The attack from the previous day really left an impact in Steelport.

* * *

The skyline of Steelport was clear as Vince flew through it to take down his target. He looked on his GPS to see where the target was located. He found a building somewhere in Loren Square. It wasn't long until he found one with a helipad on it. Below, he saw a group of men in black and red. It had to be the Morningstar.

On the helipad, a man who looked Eastern European with sunglasses stood with a couple of other men with the same colors. The man had the same description from the photo he saw in the message.

That's got to be the guy. Vince thought. He slowly descended onto the helipad.

On the helipad, Barry stood there with Gus and Victor talking.

"…I just have to see what Phillipe wants to do about this new problem in the city," Barry said. "I think he might figure out something."

He looked over at the helicopter. "Well, men, it's time to meet with the boss at the airport."

Right when the chopper landed, Vince exited and got out his Kobras and walked towards the tail end with the tail rotor spinning. Vince peeked under the tail and saw the three men approaching the chopper. He ducked a bit and pointed the Kobra right towards Gus and squeezed the trigger. One shot took the man down as the bullet pierced a hole right into the man's forehead. Blood squirted right out of the man's head and the man dropped dead right on the helipad.

Victor got out a .45 Shepherd. Barry got out a TEK-Z10. Both men saw Vince right behind the tail of the helicopter. Both Morningstar members fired away towards Vince, but he hid right behind the back of the chopper adjacent to the tail. He dropped to his back and looked to his right. He pointed his Kobra right to a leg of one of them. It didn't matter who it was, he was going to finish the job anyway.

He pulled the trigger, causing a scream that could be heard despite the rotors spinning. He saw that Victor was shot in his left calf as he saw that his leg was a bloody mess. It was time to shift focus on the other guy.

The sound of gunfire and glass shattering, as well as shards flying grabbed Vince's attention. He got up and looked through the windows and Barry was slowly walking towards the nose of the chopper. Vince slowly crawled right towards the door to the passenger seats and slowly opened the door, grabbing his D4Th Blossom. He knew that Barry was packing some serious hardware, so he felt the need to even the ante.

He quickly snatched his SMG and got back to his feet. Barry was seen through the windshield. Vince took a deep breath and fired six shots right to the front of the cockpit. Barry jumped at that sight.

BANG! Vince heard another gunshot from behind but it was lower. He saw that Victor picked up his Shepherd and tried the same strategy Vince used on him, as the bullet went through the opening between the landing skids. Vince looked up and Barry had his SMG pointed right at Vince, causing him to open fire as he laid six shots right to Barry's chest and watched as he fell to the ground.

Now to finish the other guy. Vince thought as he saw Barry laid out in front of him.

He walked away and saw that Victor had one foot on the pad. He slowly struggled to get to his feet as blood smeared on the pad. He had his .45 Shepherd drawn and fired three shots, barely missing Vince, though the third bullet grazed him a bit.

In a way, he was impressed by this man's spirit. He couldn't stand right, but he wasn't going to give up trying to take out Vince. But he wasn't going to let him walk. He was going to finish the job. Vince pointed his D4TH Blossom and pumped a good amount of lead right into the man's chest, causing blood to spray out from front and back. It was safe to say that he was completely done.

Now my work is done. Vince thought and took a deep breath, until he felt an arm go around his neck and chest area and saw a sharp blade through his right peripheral. The blade got close to his neck and even felt the sharp alloy touch his skin a bit. He wasn't about to either get stabbed or slashed, at least not today. He jumped from his feet and dropped backwards and heard the clatter of the knife thudding on the helipad.

Vince got up and saw that it was Barry.

"What the fuck?" Vince said. "How are you not dead?"

Barry got up. "Call it the miracle of Kevlar."

Vince scoffed, "No shit."

Barry swung the knife once again. He picked it up when he was getting to his feet. Vince quickly dodged the attack and delivered a hard right hand to Barry's gut. But Barry didn't give up, as he continued grip the knife and brandished it in a stabbing position.

Vince grabbed the man's hand and charged right towards him, guiding him right to the tail of the helicopter. But once again, Barry picked up his knife. However, Vince had other ideas. Barry attempted to stab Vince again. Vince blocked the attack and guided Barry's right hand right to the tail rotor. Blood splattered. Barry's right hand was no more.

"I got to hand it you," Vince said and laughed.

"Fuck you!" Barry yelled.

"No, but seriously, you had me take out some fellow Morningstar members, a garbage man, and a 'nice' brute," Vince said. "I did some of your dirty work. Who was next? The DeWynter sisters?"

Barry looked at him like he was dumbfounded that the Saints leader was onto him.

"Well, now we meet face to face, Rasputin, or should I say Barry?" Vince said.

Barry glared and gritted his teeth when he heard Vince say that.

Vince grabbed him and walked him off the helipad and to the ledge of the building.

"I got one question, though," Vince said as he continued to hold onto him. "Can you fly, Barry?"

Vince lifted him and threw him from the top of the building and watched as he plunged all the way down until he hit the pavement below as traffic went to a screeching halt. Some bystanders even crowded around the bloodied corpse.

It was now time to leave. Vince knew that he was completely done. The Morningstar was finished.

BANG! Vince jumped as he heard and felt the gunshot. It didn't hit him but he saw the bullet hole right behind him. It was barely to his left. He looked up and around. It was clearly from a sniper, but where and whom? He had heard that Barry issued a contract on him now, but really, how could he pay the person he hired now? He was dead. Someone must be around.

Vince quickly ran to the helicopter and flew out of there and back to the Saints HQ.

* * *

Right from above, a brunette woman knelt on top of roof. It was on one of the towers with those gigantic screens on the ends. This woman was pretty. She had green eyes, her hair in a ponytail and bangs that slanted from her right down to the left. She wore a full body cat-suit with some orange on it and had an armor chest-plate with an Ultor insignia on it.

The woman moved away from the scope and heard a ring through her earpiece, which went to her left cheek.

"Cypher here," the woman said.

 _"Did you get him?"_ a male voice said.

"No, he took out Danko," Cypher said. "But he got away."

 _"What happened? You usually are good with your targets,"_ the man said, who turned out to be Dex.

"Mr. Jackson, you don't have to tell me that," Cypher said. "But like with my other targets, even with those evade me, I will always find my mark and take care of them."

 _"Don't fail me next time,"_ Dex said.

"I never fail," Cypher said. "I'll be in touch."

She continued to look through her scope and saw the man fly away. Though she could try to shoot him, she felt that she'll get him another day. Unbeknownst to her boss, she was rather impressed by the ability of the Saints leader. It seemed that she had met her match.

She put her McManus rifle on her back and mounted what looked like a bike of some sort. She started it up and it ascended right from the roof and she started flying away.

* * *

**WESLEY CUTTER INTERNATIONAL**

A private jet had landed. Phillipe Loren had gotten off with some personal bodyguards he had with him. He met with Killbane and Matt Miller, whom awaited him by a Status Quo limousine.

Phillipe stood before his associates as he lit a cigarette. He was wearing a suit similar to what he was known for, except it was mostly red, but his scarf, tie, and vest were black. He still had the same eye-patch, though.

"Mr. Killbane, Mr. Miller," Phillipe said. "What a pleasure it is to see you."

"Hello, Mr. Loren," Matt said.

"Phillipe," Killbane said. "I need to tell you something. Steelport is going through some problems right now."

"Explain it to me on the way," Phillipe said. "We'll talk more about it at your casino."

"Yes, sir," Killbane said.

The three Syndicate leaders all rode in the limo. Phillipe looked around and saw that Steelport was now being occupied by some military group. He even wondered what led to this. This was all unfamiliar to him. Sooner or later, he was going to learn more about this military group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Loren's back in Steelport. There will be more with the Syndicate, along with STAG, as well as the subplot involving Cypher.
> 
> This was the first assassination mission I did as a chapter. I could do others, but I'll have to see what I can do with them. This was different because Barry deserved to go out like that.
> 
> Next up, the Saints try to find a way to mess with STAG. Stay tuned.


	27. A Little Gratitude and Some Disappointment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I am not jumping ahead into another mission chapter just yet. I know I have developed a habit of this, but really, it doesn't hurt to have some interludes as well.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: This chapter will get rather dirty. Read it at your own discretion.

Some hours had passed since Vince had taken out the Morningstar, or at least the interim leader. He knew that Phillipe Loren was still out there somewhere and was more than ready to really take him down. But he knew that he needed some time, with the Morningstar being only 1/3 of the Syndicate, he needed to find a way to take down the Deckers and the Luchadores. Even then, the Syndicate had connections in various parts. So was he only looking to just take them down in Steelport?

On top of that, STAG had been seen patrolling the areas, along with the Steelport PD. That attack from the previous day felt more like an act of terrorism, as they just went in shooting with no regard for any civilians or anything. What exactly was their plan? Vince even wondered about a sniper. Was this person connected to the Syndicate? STAG? He wanted to know. But he wasn't about to let that affect him.

He lied around in his bed at the Saints HQ. Though he took out that guy Andre, it was mainly because Zimos had some issues with him, but he wanted to let another person know about this. This person even gave him her phone number. He wanted to tell this person. He called this person.

The phone rang a bit and then went through. "Hello?" a female voice said. She sounded like she had a Spanish accent.

"Luz, it's me, Vince, the leader of the Saints."

 _"Oh, hello,"_ Luz said.

"I just need for you to know that your boyfriend Andre has disappeared," Vince said. "He had a little accident."

 _"Oh, don't worry about that,"_ Luz said. _"When I found out that he was going to auction me off as a sex slave, I was ready to leave, but then some of his associates kidnapped me."_

"Oh, okay, I see," Vince said. "Well, I just needed to let you know."

 _"No, wait,"_ Luz said. _"How about if we meet up and talk more about this?"_

"What? What do you mean?" Vince asked.

 _"How about if we meet up at the Heron Hotel in Loren Square?"_ Luz said. _"I have been staying over there for the past couple of nights."_

"You've been there this whole time?" Vince said.

 _"I couldn't go back to my apartment just yet,"_ Luz said. _"Come on by, we can talk and I will definitely show you my appreciation for what you've done."_

She gave him the number to the room she was in. Could this be some kind of proposal? He wasn't sure about this, though he did acknowledge this woman's attractiveness despite her bad taste in men. But he wasn't saying no to this, either. He looked around and saw that Pierce and Oleg were playing chess. They've been doing that as of late.

"Hey, Boss," a male voice said. Vince turned around and saw that it was Johnny.

"Where are you going?" Johnny asked.

"Just out for a bit," Vince said. "I think it's time you call me Vince."

"Oh, you want to be called by your real name? I'm cool with that," Johnny said. "Anyway, where are you going?"

"I'm just going to take a drive, maybe visit an old friend," Vince said.

Johnny smiled a bit. "I know when you talk like that, you mean something else. Okay, who's the lady?"

Vince wasn't in the least bit surprised that Johnny saw through his bullshit.

"Do you remember Luz Avalos?" Vince said.

"Luz? Wasn't she Angelo Lopez's girlfriend before you blew him up on that plane and wasn't she with that Colombian drug lord Manuel Orejuela as well?" Johnny said.

"Yes, her," Vince said. "She said she wants to thank me for saving her from her asshole boyfriend, even though I kind of know what she wants."

Johnny gritted his teeth and hissed a bit. It was in the sense that he was skeptical about all of this.

"Relax, this isn't Tanya Winters we're talking about, or even that bitch Jessica," Vince said. "I don't think Luz would try to shank me the moment I turn around."

"Just sayin', Boss, I mean Vince," Johnny said. "But really, you need to go in protected, in more ways than one."

"I'll keep my eyes open," Vince said and then entered the elevator. He took a Kobra with him, as well as some other protection.

He got into his purple Phoenix. It was a surprise that his Phoenix didn't get destroyed when he parked it by the park in Ashwood when STAG came in. He sat there not knowing what to think about this. It was a surprise that the two reunited under those circumstances at Safeword. He was not one to pass up sex with a stripper or a hooker, depending on the day. He even had some trysts with some of his fellow Saints. He even came close with Shaundi one night, but she was too high for anything to get any further.

Though he saw the attractiveness of Kinzie, as well as the DeWynter twins, he wasn't sure. Though he had some feelings for Shaundi, he knew that they weren't together, but it wasn't like there wasn't any sexual tension between the two.

But at the same time, he needed to keep his eyes open. Why did Luz invite him to a hotel room? It was clear to him, but at the same time, could she be setting him up? Then again, he spared her that night when he took care of Angelo Lopez and the rest of the Carnales. Yes, he was ordered to shoot, but he didn't go after her. He even protected her against the Ronin. He had nothing against her, but even the idea of her going for a French pimp was a bit weirder than Mexican or Colombian drug lords. Then again, pimps have money and maybe that was why.

Also, in some ways, he needed some release. But he first he needed to what was up.

* * *

Vince pulled up to the front of the hotel. He went to the elevator. He remembered the room number Luz was in. He went up and walked down the hallway. This was a nice place. He knocked on the door. The door opened. Luz stood there in a red bathrobe and looked stunning, like she put on some makeup. She had her hair done up in a certain way, almost similar to her days in the Carnales.

"Oh, hello," Luz said. "Come on in."

This type of place seemed nice. Luz had stayed at a place like this. Vince lent her some money for the hotel room, even though she had some already. It seemed she went all out before she decided what her next move was.

The lights were a bit dim. Vince saw a bucket with a bottle of champagne on ice, as well as champagne glasses nearby. He figured that this wasn't a trick or anything like that, but he still needed to be alert.

"So, Luz, what's going on?" Vince said, trying to play it off like it was nothing. "Why did you call me over here?"

Luz walked over to the bed nearby and looked down and then looked up at Vince.

"I want to thank you for what you did," Luz said. "I know that I am not a good judge of character when it comes to men. I will say that Manuel was the only one who treated me good, but then he cut me off. I did get back in his good graces at some point when you got those cars, as well as dealt the drugs, but it didn't last long. I know that we didn't really get along, but at least you watched out for me when I handled the drug-dealing back in Stilwater. I also didn't expect to see you at Safeword. I heard you guys were in Steelport when one of your friends came to me at my shoe store. I feel like I owe you."

Luz started moving her body close to Vince and rubbed her hand against his face and then to his chest.

"Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" Vince said.

"I want to express my appreciation for saving me, protecting me, everything," Luz said and moved her face in to kiss Vince on the lips.

Vince felt a little funny but then started to get into it a bit. He had put his left arm around her and started rubbing through her black hair a bit.

He quickly backed away. "Stop, I can't do this," Vince said.

"Why not?" Luz said. "I can tell you want it. I even felt it." Luz winked and gave him a smile.

"Not sure if this is right," Vince said.

"Oh, come on," Luz said as she loosened the sash on her robe and slowly pulled her robe open. She was wearing a rather revealing lacy red bra and also a lacy thong. It looked like she bought this set from Leather & Lace.

"Tell me you wouldn't go for this," Luz said and slowly got out of that robe and stood in a rather sexy pose.

Vince looked at her from head to toe. Her bronze skin, her curvaceous figure with her perfectly balanced hips and her round and natural breasts, the lingerie she had on really made him start feeling weak in that moment.

"Come on, let's have a drink first," Luz said with a smile.

"Nah, I got a better idea," Vince said and slipped out of his jacket and went forth to give Luz a kiss on the lips once again. Both of them moved their faces in different directions before Vince moved his face right to Luz's neck and then to her chest.

So much heat within, as Luz closed her eyes and moved her head back as Vince moved his face down to her breasts and then guided her right to the bed. He continued to go down as he kissed and licked her stomach and her belly button and moved his face even lower.

Though Vince was skeptical about this initially, he hadn't had sex in a bit. So maybe this was his way to release all of that pent-up sexual energy. It was probably because he was too focused on the war against the Syndicate to find any time to relax, including stuff like this. Even Zimos would have offered one of his ladies for him to cut loose a bit.

He wasted no time in taking off his shirt. Luz quickly started rubbing Vince's pectorals and abs and went down to undo his belt, unbutton his pants, and unzip his purple jeans. Vince remembered that he still had his shoes on, so he slipped them off, as well as took off his socks.

The fire was burning. Vince wasted no time in turning Luz around with her back to him, as he went to town on running his hands up and down her torso and then up until he gripped her breasts. It was crazy for him to be in this situation considering this woman was romantically involved with one of the leaders of Stilwater's oldest gangs, at least until they became a memory. It was definitely a case of some repressed sexual energy that he needed to let out. Though it was possible that he felt a slight attraction to Luz, otherwise he wouldn't have gone over to do this.

He was still behind her. He went ahead and unhooked her bra. She moved her arms around and she helped get her bra off. She turned her body back around and smiled. She pulled on the waistband of Vince's purple and gray briefs.

"You wear purple all over, huh?" Luz said.

"You still rocking the red, even though the Carnales are nothing but a memory," Vince said.

"Perhaps…," Luz said and put her hand down there.

"Tell me one thing, Luz," Vince said in a somewhat seductive tone. "You wanted some of this when you saw me the other night, didn't you?"

Luz chuckled. "Oh you better believe it. Eres muy grande, papi."

"Oh, you say I'm pretty big, huh?" Vince said. "I know some Spanish, señorita."

While Luz continued to work her magic, Vince returned the favor by doing the same to her. Her mouth opened, her eyes closed from the sensation. Their body heats increased by the minute, they felt the need to go straight for it.

"Fuck me," Luz said.

"Really, I thought the same thing," Vince said. He picked her up and put her back first right on the bed.

For both of them, this wasn't a case of making love, but the chemistry in bed may say otherwise. Though Vince had been having thoughts of Shaundi as of late, he didn't want to lose focus, nor did he want to make things awkward between them, even though he knew he had to let her know sooner or later. It was crazy because he also acknowledged the attractiveness of the DeWynter sisters, as well as Kinzie, who was attractive in a geeky way. Aimee and Lucy were a couple of other attractive women on the team, but he didn't see them that way. Even Venus offered her services to him and he said he wouldn't mind. So why did he go right for Luz?

Luz was right on the bed. Vince went forth to pull down her thong. He pulled down his briefs and went for his pants to get a condom he had on him. He wasn't going to do this raw. It was a lubricated condom, too. Luz wanted it. This seemed to be her way of thanking him, but in reality, it seemed _a little_ more than that.

Vince went right in. He was ready to go to town. And he did. Both people were in major heat. It was about as hot as being in the middle of a desert in the middle of the summer.

It wasn't without changing positions. Vince pulled out. Luz got on all fours. Vince went right behind and starting going to work. He even pulled her upper body a bit up and played with her boobs once again.

He just kept going until both people moaned and broke away from one another. They reached the climax.

"Wow, that was great," Luz said.

"Tell me about it," Vince said. "It had been a bit since I had fucked a woman."

"I wouldn't have guessed it," Luz said.

"Be honest, was this really your way of thanking me for all those times?" Vince said as he sat on the bed with her. "I almost wonder if you wanted some of this when you saw me in my birthday suit."

"It was," Luz said. "I hadn't been treated that good by men in a long time. Manuel was pretty the only good one and then, well, you know. I want to know something and you should tell me now: why were you naked at that S&M club?"

"You remember there was an auction going on, right?" Vince said.

Luz nodded.

"Well, that pimp Zimos, he is a part of my crew now," Vince said. "He wanted to help put the hurt on the Morningstar, as well as get more women for his business. He had me go in and he was going to auction me off as a sex slave. It was all part of the plan."

Luz looked away. "I see now. I heard that you guys have become quite a big deal over the years. I even went by Planet Saints a few times."

"You ever try any of their shoes?" Vince said and chuckled.

Luz gave him a tap.

"You know, that is one thing we do share," Vince said. "We both have a fascination with shoes. Maybe not as much as you, but I know you have quite a thing about footwear."

"That is true," Luz said. "I am running my own shoe business now, as you already know. That guy Pierce Washington came to me one day."

"You know, since you dated Andre, is there anything else that he wanted you to do regarding the Morningstar?" Vince said.

"I know that he helped finance my business a bit and that the Morningstar protected my shop," Luz said. "But he never got me involved in any of their shit. Besides, I still had some money from my cut of the drug running back in Stilwater."

Luz paused a bit. "He also hit me a few times, but I wasn't sure if it was a pimp thing or if he was having a bad day. When he talked to me about doing something on the side like being one of the girls at Safeword, I told him no. I couldn't do it. He forced me to do it against my will recently."

"Well, the Morningstar is pretty much done, we can work together and I can have some of my people protect your business," Vince said.

"Sounds good," Luz said.

"You have changed over the years," Vince said.

"Yes, I know," Luz said.

Both people put their clothes back on. Luz wore the same dress as she did the night of the auction. Vince took off in his Phoenix and looked around saw Luz driving out of the parking garage. She was still driving the Magma that she had years prior. He told her that she could stay at the penthouse with them for a bit, at least until things clear up with the Morningstar, because even though the Morningstar was done, there could have been a few people left, as well as any other gang in the Syndicate going after her. She'll be well-protected, too.

* * *

**3 COUNT CASINO**

A meeting was called with the three leaders of the Syndicate. Even though Killbane had a tower for the Luchadores, as did Matt for the Deckers, those buildings were on Saints territory, despite there being connection to the Syndicate.

Phillipe Loren sat down at a table. He had Norman and Pete by his sides, as well as Zoey, Clara, and Lillian behind him. It turned out it wasn't them with Andre that time when he was taken out. They were all that was left of any muscle within the Morningstar.

Matt sat there as well, close to Phillipe. Killbane sat close to them as well. Matt had some of his bodyguards with him. So did Killbane. Phillipe looked up at everyone.

"Excuse us, everyone," Phillipe said. "We need to discuss this in private."

All of the bodyguards and muscle exited themselves out of the private room of the casino. Though Killbane was known to be egomaniacal and short-tempered, he knew that Phillipe was above him in the ranks, at least in terms of power within the elite leaders. Matt sat there and looked down. He was mainly their hacker and did lead the Deckers to a point, but not always when it came to enforcement and protecting their turf.

But before the remaining Morningstar muscle left completely, Zoey leaned towards Phillipe and whispered something.

"Just letting you know, Mr. Loren," Zoey said. "The Saints think they took us out, but we'll go after them, as well as Viola and Kiki. They're with the Saints now."

Phillipe looked his subordinate in the eye and said, "We're going to discuss more of this later. We have an even bigger matter to discuss right now."

Zoey nodded her head and proceeded to leave the room.

"Mr. Miller, Mr. Killbane," Phillipe said. "I understand that you guys hadn't done your jobs in taking out the Saints. Because of that, most of the Morningstar has been weakened, if finished. The Saints have proven to be more of a nuisance than we thought at first. Some of my other leaders and businessmen have been killed. Barry's body was found earlier. I thought we had agreed to let the Saints know that they weren't welcome and that we rule Steelport. But now look at what's happened. They took over most of the businesses of the Morningstar. It's only a matter of time until they shift their focus on the rest of us."

Matt trembled a bit when he heard that. Though he respected Phillipe, when it came to failure within the organization, he had little tolerance for it.

"Mr. Loren, sir," Matt said. "I have reached an understanding that while the Saints had made their mark on Steelport, they haven't focused on the rest of us. I had thought-"

"Quiet, Matty," Killbane yelled. "You do realize that the Saints fucked over our other businesses. We should just take hit them with what we got. They haven't taken all of us down!"

"Killbane, please, Matt was not finished yet," Phillipe said and shifted his attention to Matt. "Please continue."

"I'm just saying that because we also have this new problem in Steelport called STAG," Matt said. "We should find a way to convince them that the Saints are the problem, which would make our fight a bit easier. STAG stands for 'Special Tactical Anti-Gang.' It seems that this unit is supported by Senator Hughes and Ultor."

"Senator Hughes?" Phillipe said. "How did she get the okay to do this?"

"I'm getting to that," Matt said. "There have been some problems with the Saints. Remember when the bridge was destroyed? She called in for this organization to come and clean up Steelport. From what I also understand, they have the support of Mayor Reynolds."

Phillipe gritted his teeth a bit. "I knew I should not have left. Though that plan for the tower worked, but something tells me that I have lost focus on trying to keep the government off our backs."

"One more thing, sir," Matt said. "I think I have a way to ruin the Saints."

An evil smile grew on Killbane's face when he heard that.

"Oh, Matty, do tell," Killbane said.

"I would like to hear this idea of yours, Matt," Phillipe said.

"Well, you see, Killbane has an interview with Jane Valderamma soon," Matt said. "I think that we can make Senator Hughes and STAG see that the Saints caused the destruction of the bridge."

Killbane chuckled a bit when he heard that. It was in a sense that he liked what he was hearing.

"Now you're talking, Matty," Killbane said. "Nobody can ruin my image. So now we'll ruin _theirs_."

Phillipe sat there with his finger to his chin and smirked at Matt's idea. "Good idea, Mr. Miller. You really are a genius."

"Thank you, sir," Matt said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm going to level with you on some stuff. Regarding the sex scene, it was kind of an experiment and also a way of providing some downtime into this story a bit. I know that I have done bits with Vince (The Boss) and Shaundi, but they're not together, and this sequence was mostly based on pure lust, though I'm not generally opposed to an idea of anything else involving Luz.
> 
> Also, I don't know if I'll do that many scenes like that for this story, but I am not opposed. This isn't really a ship fic and when it comes to erotica/smut, it usually depends with me if I want to do one. It was kind of gratuitous, but in some ways it wasn't.
> 
> I also know that I have made a habit of talking about doing a certain thing next but then skipping over. Well, in this case, I'm going to try to do things a bit interchangeably. So there will be some bits with STAG and The Syndicate.
> 
> The three female Morningstar members aren't dead. I didn't want to make them go out like that and I didn't do anything with the other two guys. They'll appear again soon.
> 
> So yes, next up will be the Saints trying to mess with STAG for sure. Stay tuned for that one.


	28. Convoy Decoy

It had been a couple of days. Vince had allowed Luz to stay with the Saints. Shaundi was a bit skeptical about letting this woman stay with them, but Pierce was alright with it. She had no beef with them at all in spite of the history with the Saints and the Carnales. But she basically did her routine as usual.

Vince had taken off to scope the other areas of Steelport in his Phoenix. He had been driving that lately. Though he wanted to hit the Deckers, as they were next on the Syndicate, he saw that it wasn't long until STAG made themselves at home in the city. The park in Sunset Park had become of their base areas, as some of the N-Forcer vehicles and their Condor VTOL planes were parked in that general area, as well as barricaded.

It was daytime. Vince cruised around and everywhere he went, there was an armored soldier wielding a Viper Laser Rifle or even an S3X Hammer shotgun. He even saw some of them driving their N-Forcers, even with a soldier on the gunner. After witnessing STAG's indifference to human life the day they made their presence known, somehow he felt that with the Saints being the primary target, it was only a matter of time until they would find out where they were. He figured he would need to have the rest of his people scatter around Steelport.

He went into the park to go walk around and look around. Even though STAG had set up shop in the park, it was still open to the public, depending on which side. He walked by some people playing guitars by the little river. He got out his phone and called one person he felt the need to talk to.

 _"Yeah, Boss?"_ Pierce said after the call went through.

"You know, with STAG in town, we need to be careful, Pierce," Vince said.

 _"Huh? Oh yeah, I totally agree,"_ Pierce said, not sounding like he was listening.

"Our place might be compromised," Vince said.

 _"Uh-huh, whatever you say,"_ Pierce said.

 _Is this fucker playing chess again?_ Vince thought. "…And we should get some horses and mount a charge on STAG."

 _"All right, I'll get on that,"_ Pierce said.

"Damn it, Pierce," Vince said and sighed. "I'll be over in a bit."

 _"Sure, see you soon,"_ Pierce said.

Vince went back into his Phoenix, started it up, and took off. He thought he should make another call.

 _"Hey, Boss,"_ Shaundi said.

"Shaundi, where are you right now?" Vince said.

 _"I'm with Johnny right now checking out some stuff on those STAG guys,"_ Shaundi said. _"Why? What's up?"_

"Listen, you may want to stay at Derek's place for a bit," Vince said. "With STAG in town, I think they're going to try to find us and hit us with whatever they got. I'll hit you up later with more details. I have a plan to let STAG know what's up."

 _"Call us in a bit,"_ Shaundi said.

"I will," Vince said.

There were a few others staying at the penthouse. He thought he'll call Luz later because she was working, and then check on Zimos, Kinzie, and Angel about where they were. But there were two people to check on. He called one of those.

 _"Hello?"_ a female voice said.

"Viola, it's Vince," he said. "I think STAG will try to hit us soon. Do you have any place that is safe to lie low at?"

 _"Kiki and I have our condo, but we don't know if anybody from STAG or the Syndicate will try to hound us,"_ Viola said.

"I see," Vince said. "Well, there are some places you can try. We have updated Safeword a bit and you two can stay there, or even with Zimos at his car wash, or there is a place in Salander by the docks that one of my other people is staying. Take your pick."

 _"Not sure about Safeword if Zimos is running things over there,"_ Viola said. _"We're not on the best of terms with him right now."_

"Okay, that answers my question," Vince said. "You two settle your differences with Z sometime, but right now, you two should go over to that warehouse. I'm sure that my girl over there would love some company despite what she says."

 _"Um, okay, Boss,"_ Viola said.

In that case, he felt the need to contact Kinzie to let her know that the twins were coming.

"Hey, Kinzie," Vince said. "Listen, I have a plan right now and that means getting people away from the penthouse. I sent a couple of new people over to your house."

 _"Hold up, what?"_ Kinzie said. "You're sending some people to my inner sanctum, my command center?"

"They just need to find some place safe right now," Vince said. "They're the DeWynter sisters. They need to be safe from STAG and the Syndicate. No time to explain, they're on their way."

 _"Okay, Boss,"_ Kinzie said. _"But I'll be keeping an eye out for any funny stuff."_

After he got off the phone, he was close to the Saints HQ. He pulled up into the garage, parked the car, and went straight for the elevator. DING! The door opened, he walked into the main area. It turned out he was right. Pierce and Oleg were playing chess. Vince went up to them and jumped over the couch.

"Pack it up, we got to move," Vince said.

Pierce looked up at him. "I got 20k on this game!"

Vince kicked the coffee table, knocking down all of the chess pieces, some even fell off of the board.

"Damn!" Pierce said.

"Now it's a draw," Vince said.

Pierce looked at Oleg. "This isn't over." He then turned his attention to Vince. "What's up?"

"It's not safe here," Vince said. "You guys clear this place out. I'll buy you some time."

Pierce and Oleg got up, while Vince went his own way.

* * *

Vince got out of the headquarters at the front of the building. A purple Torch was there waiting for him. His phone then started to ring.

"Oleg, what's up?" Vince said.

 _"Pierce is loading the trucks,"_ Oleg said. _"I will create a distraction at the park._ "

"All right, that should spread them out," Vince said. "I'll start some shit at one of those STAG bases. Just be careful, big guy."

 _"Relax, my friend, I know what I'm doing,"_ Oleg said.

"I know you are, but still, be careful," Vince said.

The call ended. He knew that Oleg was capable of stuff, but even he thought that what he did when he jumped onto the fighter jet like that was crazy and he had gone through some crazy stuff himself, and was about to do something crazy right now.

The GPS read that there was a STAG east of where Vince was. He wondered if he would be able to find any of those jets there. It was time to get their attention. But first he had to make a call to Pierce.

 _"Yeah, Boss, what's up?"_ Pierce said.

"Pierce, how's the pack-up going?" Vince said.

 _"Slow. We've got a lot of shit,"_ Pierce said.

"Just take what we need," Vince said.

 _"Whatchu think I'm doin'?"_ Pierce said.

"Pierce, leave the chess board," Vince said.

 _"Man, that's cold,"_ Pierce said.

"You can get another one," Vince said. "I got to get STAG's attention right now. Talk to you in a bit."

Vince pulled up close to a tunnel. It was adjacent to a factory and saw some STAG N-Forcers close to a chain-link fence. It was right by the water, likely a docking area for the factory.

 _This must be it._ Vince thought and stepped on the gas and rammed right through the fence. STAG operatives quickly looked up and drew their Viper rifles and started opening fire on him. Many barricades were up, with chain-link fences and bases at the bottom with STAG's insignia on them, as well as mobile bases with the STAG insignia on them as well. There were even crates, likely to store their weapons.

Vince drove through the hail of lasers being fired, as well as gunfire as some of them were wielding AR-55s and AS3 Ultimax shotguns, in case they needed some traditional firepower, even though the lasers could just hit the person inside the vehicle without causing damage to the windows. He ignored all of it considering how fast he drove right by them and hit the brakes once he was close to the set of fighter jets that were close to the water.

He got out and drew his D4TH Blossom and opened fire. He didn't care who he hit, as long it as he could buy his men a bit of time if STAG were to turn their attentions towards him. He managed to lay about five shots to a STAG solder's chest and rest arm. Rather than drop the person, as Vince couldn't tell if it was a man or woman under the uniform, the soldier was taken aback a bit. Vince did the same to another who was also close.

Vince opened the cockpit to the F-69 VTOL.

 _"Startup sequence initiated."_ Said a voice that went with the jet, as it started up automatically.

 _Hover AND a jet mode? It's like a helicopter that doesn't suck!_ Vince thought as he took control of the jet. He quickly switched the jet to flight mode to just fly the hell out of there and made yet another call.

"Hey, Pierce, get things moving," Vince said. "I've got their attention."

 _"We're rolling down in a convoy now,"_ Pierce said. _"I'll let you know how the streets are looking."_

 _"Hover mode engaged."_ Said the same computer voice on the jet as Vince switched modes. He looked down at that base and saw on the GPS in the cockpit that there were other bases not too far from there. He figured he could started with that one.

 _"Flight mode engaged."_ He switched over to flight mode and flew towards that same base from before.

Vince said as he quickly switched it to hover mode. He noticed that this jet fired homing missiles and also lasers. The target started to lock on one of STAG's mobile bases.

 _"All bases, prepare for incoming attacks,"_ said a male voice through a communicator on the jet. It was likely Cyrus Temple.

Vince wasted no time in dropping a few missiles towards the mobile bases, causing a big explosion to the base and some of the jets that were there. It didn't stop any of the STAG troops to fire away at the jet above them.

It was time to hit the other bases. Vince flew away and saw another base on a rooftop on somewhere.

"Wooo! Talk to me, Goose!" Vince yelled with so much glee in his voice.

 _"STAG still keeping the streets hot,"_ Pierce said. _"You got to pick it up with them."_

"Shit, I didn't think that these motherfuckers were all over the place," Vince said. "Roger that, Pierce."

 _"All bases on alert. Shoot down any enemy aircraft."_ A female voice said. It was Kia.

 _Time to keep the pressure on._ Vince thought.

In Vince's sight were some of those mobile bases on the roof, along with some VTOL jets and ground troops. It was time to play with the laser. He fired at anything on the roof. It didn't take long for those mobile bases to blow up, nor did it take long for the jets to blow up either. Even some of the troops dropped and looked like they burned to a crisp after coming into contact with the laser. Not to mention some rubble broke off from the building. This laser must have been pretty strong.

 _"Looks like STAG left a roadblock ahead of us,"_ Pierce said. _"Without help, we ain't getting by."_

"On my way, Pierce," Vince said.

Vince flew towards an area where there was a bridge that went into Bridgeport. He saw the purple vehicles below, all in a convoy. It had to be them. Right in front of them were STAG tanks and N-Forcers. Why they weren't firing at the Saints was anybody's guess, but was that going to stop Vince? Not a chance, as he locked a target right on a tank and fired missiles right at it, twice, to make sure it stayed down.

He continued his assault by taking down another tank with the missiles and used the laser to take down the N-Forcers. The road was clear, as the Saints convoy went their way to safety.

 _"All right, good to go now. Thanks, Boss,"_ Pierce said.

"Don't mention it," Vince said.

Suddenly, Temple spoke through the radio system. _"Get our AWACS in the air with full escort."_

With that being said, more troops were about to fly in. Vince knew that STAG had a lot more coming in. More reports stated to investigate all possible Saints vehicles in the area. Before Vince was about to take any more STAG bases, it was time to check on some others.

First, he decided to check on Luz, who was just working at that moment. So they just texted each other. He just told her to stay indoors and make sure that the streets were clean should she go find somewhere to stay to lie low. Luz agreed to do so but asked where she could go. Which made him think that one person could look after her. So he made the call to that person.

"Hey, Z, what does it look like out there?" Vince asked.

 ** _"Shit, Playa, shit is messy out there,"_** Zimos said. _**"All my ladies be lying low and avoiding all of the bullshit out there. But me and Venus are doin' alright, my brotha."**_

"Well, a friend of mine is working right now, I was wondering if you could keep her safe," Vince said.

 ** _"Sure thing, Playa, I'll keep the lady safe,"_** Zimos said.

"Oh, and one more thing, no funny business," Vince said.

 _ **"I'll see for myself, but I'll look after her,"**_ Zimos said.

"Thanks, Z," Vince said.

While in hover mode, Vince texted Luz an address of the place where she could stay. Luz texted back, she said okay to it.

 _I'll check on Angel in a bit, but right now I got shit to do._ Vince switched to flight mode and flew towards another base, which was under the bridge that connected Henry Steel Mills to Ashwood. The base was right close to the road under the bridge in Henry Steel Mills.

Vince did the same thing as before. He took down any parked N-Forcer and mobile base that was set up in that area, causing yet more explosions. Except there was one thing he didn't think of. A couple of N-Forcers were on the bridge and a couple of F-69 jets were behind him.

He looked on his GPS and through the window. The N-Forcers on the bridge were firing lasers at him, as were the fighter jets.

"Fuck me," Vince said out loud. That wasn't all, either. More N-Forcers rolled down the road where some of the bases used to be. But there was only one concern for him: the jets, as one was in front and the other behind.

The jet behind him started firing the laser. He saw that the jet in front of him was ready to fire some missiles at him. But there was one other base he needed to take down.

Vince quickly switched to flight mode and pulled the yoke back to ascend as the fighter jet that was behind him continued to fire the laser, only to hit the jet that was in front. With these being homing missiles, Vince flew out of there as fast as he could. However, the target locked on to the other jet as the missiles flew towards it.

KA-BOOM! The jet exploded and what was left of it fell right into the water. The other jet, however, was badly damaged. The left wing caught on fire, causing the STAG soldier to eject out of it and parachute to the ground below. But the jet crashed right onto the bridge, as the stabilizers and the right wing hit the bridge that they broke off, and the rest of the jet crashing right onto the ground below, where STAG's base used to be.

Vince continued to fly the jet. According to the GPS, it read that the last base was at Wesley Cutter International.

 _"Mobile base tango has been hit! I want our fighters in the air!"_ said Kia.

It was clear to Vince that it didn't take long for STAG to figure which plane to target, even though they all looked the same. Through the radio, Commander Temple continued to alert any soldiers about Saints trucks, as well as any other Saint movement on the ground.

Once Vince got to the airport, he saw that STAG had set up their base right close to a hangar with a couple of helipads. It was definitely the location for Humanitarian Inc, a company where a man named BJ Barnes wanted some government and military vehicles stolen for him.

Another thing that happened was that various jets had ascended and started their attack. They were determined not to go down. The jets opened fire with their lasers. Ground troops fired away at him, whether they were on foot or on the laser turret. Sparks flew on some parts of the jet that Vince was flying.

Vince hovered away a bit and zapped various ground and air troops with his lasers and locked the targets on the mobile bases. Vince did not hesitate to launch the rockets at both of the bases, causing another blemish on STAG's bases.

That must be all of them, I should check on the others. Vince thought and called a couple of people through a conference call.

"Viola, Kiki, are you two safe?" Vince asked.

 _"We're safe, Boss,"_ Kiki said. _"We found the place. STAG chased after us, until some of the Saints and Deckers tried to fight them and each other."_

"Kiki, you and Viola just go in," Vince said. "I already told Kinzie that you two were coming."

 _"Got it,"_ Kiki said.

Last person to check on was Angel, but then another call came in.

"Talk to me, Oleg," Vince said.

 _"There's too many for us to handle,"_ Oleg said.

"'Us'? What do you mean? Who are you with?" Vince said.

 _"Johnny and Shaundi joined me at the park, but it turned out STAG were more trouble than we thought,"_ Oleg said.

"I'm en route, just hang on," Vince said and then called Johnny, and it went through. "Johnny, are you guys alright?"

 _"Yeah, we're cool, but man, these fuckers are everywhere!"_ Johnny said. _"Killing gang members is easy, but killing these assholes is hard as fuck."_

"Just stay put, I'm on my way," Vince said. "If you need to take cover, fucking do it. These guys don't fuck around."

 _"Sure thing, Boss,"_ Johnny said. _"I'll hold off some if I have to."_

 _"All units in the park divert attention to finding that convoy,"_ Temple said through the radio.

 _Looks like Oleg, Johnny, and Shaundi did the right thing._ Vince thought as he continued to fly through the sky.

At the speed he went, getting to the park didn't take long at all. Even from several stories above, he saw that his fellow Saints took cover under the bridge in the park. Oleg and Johnny, as well as Shaundi went out and started to open fire to any ground troops. Oleg had a mini-gun and he dropped many troops with ease. But from a distance, he noticed some STAG tanks pulling in. It was clear that these guys meant business, even if it meant bringing in some heavy artillery to only take down a handful of people.

There was no time to waste. Vince quickly targeted one tank and once the target locked, he launched the missiles without hesitation. The same process occurred with the two tanks.

Below, Shaundi looked around and saw the remains of the tanks, as did Johnny and Oleg. All three of them looked up and saw the jet hovering over them. They knew who was flying it. They all waved to him.

 _"Thanks, Boss,"_ Shaundi said.

"Ah, it was nothing," Vince said. "You guys go find somewhere safe to go."

 _"We're on it,"_ Shaundi said. Oddly enough, the purple Criminal that she and Johnny drove, it was not damaged. Johnny took the driver's seat. Shaundi went to the front passenger's seat. Oleg went into the back seat.

 _"Air convoy delta-delta-one entering Steelport airspace,"_ a male voice said on the radio.

 _Fuck, more of them? Not going to happen._ Vince thought and made another call. "Pierce, tell me you're getting close."

 _"We're trying to keep a low profile here,"_ Pierce said. _"We can't go speedin' through the streets. We almost got stopped by STAG."_

"Well, they got an AWACS plane flying in with a lot of escorts," Vince said.

 _"You serious?!"_ Pierce said.

"Look, just get there, anywhere that will be safe, like Angel's gym or anywhere close to it or even Kinzie's warehouse," Vince said. "I'll think of something."

There was one more person he needed to check on.

 _"Hello?"_ a male voice said.

"Angel, just checking in, are you safe?" Vince said.

 _"Yeah, I am, but I heard a lot of explosions outside,"_ Angel said.

"Have any of those STAG guys tried to storm your gym?" Vince said.

 _"I haven't seen any of those guys try to come in,"_ Angel said.

"Well, that's good," Vince said. "Hey, listen, if you're okay with this, I'll let some people stay at your place for now. We're under a lot of shit. So I'll let some know."

 _"Doesn't bother me, I'll even train some of them,"_ Angel said.

"Whoa, whoa, you can train them, but don't have them drive with fucking tigers or try to burn them," Vince said.

 _"I'll see what I can do,"_ Angel said.

"Okay, cool, I'll let you go now," Vince said and texted Pierce to try to find a place to lie low. He even suggested Angel's gym. Pierce replied and said that he'll try there or maybe a motel nearby.

Vince flew through the air and saw that the AWACS plane was flying low enough that it was barely above the city, or at least that was how it looked from his vision.

Through the radio, Commander Temple and Kia continued to suggest any of the troops to find any Saints on the ground or in the air.

The jet flew through Port Pryor and Vince saw that the AWACS plane was getting a little closer. It was right over the water and from the looks of things, the AWACS had some VTOLs escorting it, ranging from the F-69 jets and the Condors.

Once Vince got off the mainland, he realized that the AWACS was higher than he thought.

 _"That Saint won't escape me!"_ a pilot said on the radio. It sounded female. It called the attention to the Condor, as the F-69 flew right for Vince on his jet.

There was no time to waste. Vince used the same strategy as before. With this plane getting close to the land, the only way to take it down was to cause it to crash, but he was not going to let the plane crash over any buildings below. He had to keep it over water. He quickly blew up the F-69 and the Condor with the missiles. After both of the aircraft exploded, he quickly went to work on the AWACS and fired the laser and multiple missiles at the AWACS. He kept the laser zapping it while he fired the missiles, until the plane caught on fire. He looked below and saw that it was sea below. He sighed in relief.

 _"Move is all done,"_ Pierce said. _"No worries on our end."_

"Damn, I was having fun," Vince said. "I'll meet you guys somewhere in a bit. Let me go land this thing."

* * *

**STAG HQ - PR CENTER**

Later that day, even after all the carnage that occurred, Cyrus and Kia were told by Senator Hughes to go the PR center in Loren Square. Hughes couldn't make a meeting, but she requested that they have a talk through the phone about something.

Senator Hughes had told the two elite members of STAG to go into a boardroom and watch a video she had set up for them by some members of their PR department, as well as representatives of Steelport who worked with Mayor Reynolds.

Much to their reluctance, the video started showing. It had Josh Birk walking through an alley and greeting a local man.

_"I'm Joshua Birk. On TV, I play Nyte Blayde, an exceptionally good-looking but misunderstood vampire who risks like and limb every week to keep the world safe. The men and women of STAG put their lives on the line every day to protect your city against gang violence. Want to be a real world hero? Talk to your STAG recruiter today. I know I have."_

The rest of the video, which looked like a public service announcement depicted STAG soldiers doing good deeds, such as putting up a swing set in a park, hammering a nail on a wall, fixing an woman's tire, and helping an elderly woman and a child do a slam dunk. The last part had Birk in Nyte Blayde costume when he said "I know I have," in character, as well, as he swung his swords.

The sign on the side said, "STAG needs you; Contact your local recruitment office." At the bottom, it read, "Nyte Blayde says 'it's okay to rat our your neighbors!'"

Cyrus and Kia scoffed with so much derision at the sight of this. Senator Hughes was still on speaker phone as this went on.

"Nyte Blayde's the face of STAG?" Kia said. "Why don't you just put someone in a fucking deer suit?"

 _"Hearts and minds will win the war, my dear,"_ Hughes said.

Cyrus cut in, "Shock and awe wins wars, Senator. Authorize the Daedalus and this will all be over."

 _"Absolutely not, you people already have the Thermopylae,"_ Senator Hughes said. _"You already have this under control, right?"_

"That kid's going to get himself killed," Cyrus said.

 _"Well you ensure Josh Birk's safety or I'll find someone who can. Understand?"_ Hughes said.

Cyrus sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good, now you continue trying to clean up Steelport and keep him safe," Senator Hughes said and the call ended.

"You know that this is a bad idea, right?" Kia said.

Cyrus sighed again. "Kia, after what happened out there today, we need to make sure that we not only keep that guy safe, but also find out where these gangs are hiding. A lot of our people were killed today."

"Sir, I know where some of those gangs are, I'll keep you posted," Kia said. "Besides, I've wanted to be in law enforcement since my teen years and even before I left the military. I know we can do this."

Cyrus nodded his head at her.

* * *

**MEANWHILE, AT KINZIE'S WAREHOUSE**

The twins followed Kinzie, who looked for some rooms for those two to sleep at in case they got tired.

"I hardly sleep, but knowing that some people will come here to lie low, I have a room for both of you," Kinzie said. "I even have sleeping bags as well."

She opened the door to a room with beds that just had metal frames and a mattress and pillow on each. No blankets or anything like that.

"Um, that sounds…good?" Viola said and looked at Kiki.

"You know, I just want to say something, but you two have such beautiful hair," Kinzie said. "It's so shiny."

"Um, thanks," Viola said.

"You're the first person to say that to us," Kiki said.

"I'm honored," Kinzie said.

"You know, if you wash your hair, it could be just as shiny as ours," Viola said.

"Will you teach me how?" Kinzie said.

"Um, sure, we can do that," Kiki said, with Viola looking at her like this was an odd moment.

"Cool, anyway, I got to go check something," Kinzie said.

Kinzie walked away while the DeWynter sisters looked at her.

"Man, she seems weird," Kiki said.

"She seems a little odd, but she is the first woman who has been nice to us in a while," Viola said. "She seems nice, at least to me."

Meanwhile, Kinzie went back downstairs to her computer system and saw that she had received a new e-mail. It was from someone named "RagnarokWinsAgain" and it had an attachment. She opened it up and it was a video that depicted Vince, Johnny, Pierce, and Shaundi dancing with an image of the destroyed bridge behind them.

"What the hell?" Kinzie said as her eyes got a little bigger. "Oh my god."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit difficult for me to write. I know that I have been able to take the gameplay elements in a somewhat realistic direction, but I had to come up with ways to depict someone flying a fighter jet and going through the carnage. It wasn't all that bad, but I actually wonder if the depiction of the ad with Birk was decent enough. I haven't written much of anything depicting a TV commercial, except for the Saints Flow ad in the very first chapter.
> 
> Next up, Killbane has an important interview, while the Saints try to figure out who was behind that video. Stay tuned.


	29. Live! With Killbane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one will be really dialogue heavy. While I do use italics for phone conversations, Zimos's dialogue (I use bold when I imply him talking on the phone or enunciation of some words), or even media reports, a lot of this will include interview dialogue.
> 
> Any bit involving the interview is divided, until a certain point. You'll see.

It was now evening. After causing STAG some trouble that same day, at least to divert their attention from any fellow Saints in the area, Vince had been thinking about another gang of the Syndicate to hit: The Deckers.

He had been focused on the Morningstar mostly since he and the Saints had gotten to Steelport. Though Vince had helped Kinzie with some of her issues with the Deckers after going through cyberspace and blowing up some of the Deckers' cars while protecting her, it was time to really put the hurt on them. He knew that the Deckers were also around their territory doing deals or protecting the area, like how the Morningstar did on their old turf. The same could be said about the Luchadores in their territories.

Vince drove down Henry Steel Mills to see how things were, especially after what happened earlier that day. He put it on The Mix 107.77 and oddly enough, "Danger Zone" from Kenny Loggins was playing.

 _Man, I should have played this earlier._ He thought. After the song had ended, a news report came on.

_"What rebellious teenager didn't go joyriding in their parents' car, blowing off steam and staining the backseat? However, the theft of a military aircraft cost more than a two-week grounding. The unknown suspect unloaded the plane's weapons onto both STAG outposts and city streets, destroying millions in military and civilian vehicles and property. Roadblocks were destroyed entirely and a public park was filled with the bodies of the soldiers who tried to stop the chaos. This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Crime Report."_

The deal with STAG going after someone hijacking one of their fighter jets had been the talk of the day. It seemed that there was even live coverage as everything happened that afternoon.

But in the hours that passed, Vince had something else in mind. He made a call to Kinzie.

 _"Hello, Boss,"_ Kinzie said.

"Kinzie, you found anything out about the Deckers?" Vince said.

 _"I know a LOT about the Deckers,"_ Kinzie said.

"Well I know that, but I mean anything we can use?" Vince said.

 _"Tons, but you shouldn't worry about that now,"_ Kinzie said.

"Okay, then what should I…?" Vince said.

 _"Is Shaundi with you?"_ Kinzie quickly replied.

"No. Why do you want to know?" Vince said. "What's going on?

 _"I'll call her then,"_ Kinzie said. _"Meet me at Smiling Jack's diner, there's something you need to see."_

"What's that?" Vince said.

 _"No time to explain, I'll show you when you get here,"_ Kinzie said.

The call ended. Vince rolled down the streets and crossed the bridge into Ashwood. He knew that Smiling Jack's was not far from there as it was in Salander. It wasn't long until he pulled up and parked his Infuego in front of the diner. Shaundi stood right by her Torch, waiting for Vince to come up.

"Hey, Vince," Shaundi said.

"How long were you here?" Vince said.

"Not long," Shaundi said. "I came from Derek's apartment."

"Right," Vince said. "Let's go in."

The two walked into the diner and saw that Kinzie sat in the corner booth, the exact same booth that Vince and Shaundi sat at for coffee that one day.

"Hey, Kinzie," Vince said, Kinzie looked up as the two were walking towards her. "What's up?"

"You need to see this," Kinzie said and turned her laptop computer on the table so that Vince and Shaundi could see.

It was the same video of Vince, Shaundi, and Pierce dancing in front of the destroyed bridge. that Kinzie saw from that e-mail she had received earlier, except it was featured on a news program. Vince was holding a rocket launcher.

A female voice started talking. It sounded like Jane Valderamma.

_"…Fortunately, this exclusive footage has come to light, and with us live, the main responsible…"_

The news footage cut to the newsroom. Turned out it was Jane, sitting on a chair with her guest. The headline at the bottom read "Saints or Sinners?" with a scrolling message at the bottom as well.

_"…Eddie 'Killbane' Pryor. Thanks for being here, Eddie."_

Killbane was dressed in a green suit with a lighter green button-down shirt and a gold chain. Of course, he was not without his sacred mask.

 _"My pleasure, Jane,"_ Killbane said. _"And please, call me Killbane."_

"Very well," Jane said. "Killbane, there are some who claim you're a criminal."

Killbane laughed. _"No, no, Jane, my dear, please. The Saints are criminals. Call me eccentric, but I'm just an entertainer slash businessman slash philanthropist slash…"_

 _"We get it,"_ Jane said.

"Where are they?" Vince said as he turned his attention to Kinzie.

"No idea, they're broadcasting from an undisclosed location," Kinzie said.

"Well, fucking disclose it," Shaundi said.

Kinzie sighed. "I might be able to triangulate where they're shooting if you could go to the broadcast towers and…"

"We're on it," Vince said, and he and Shaundi started running out of the diner.

Both Saints went into Vince's Infuego and were off. Vince's phone rang.

"Kinzie, what's up?" Vince said.

 _"Called in a favor to get a helicopter,"_ Kinzie said. _"Use it, I'll explain when you're airborne."_

"Got it," Vince said and ended the call.

"That asshole's gonna trash the Saints on air," Shaundi said.

"He already is," Vince said.

He turned on the radio, as this interview was also being broadcast through the radio as well.

* * *

Jane started talking. _"I'm sitting with a man the wrestling community has called 'The Walking Apocalypse.' Is such a moniker intended to frighten your fans as well as your foes?"_

 _"Not at all,"_ Killbane said. _"It's an inspiration to all my fans, to rise above the meager existence of a mere man."_

 _"And what about those who don't share that same opinion?"_ Jane said. _"Some call it preying on the weak."_

 _"It's the ones who see each person as nothing more than a paycheck who truly prey on the weak, like Planet Saints,"_ Killbane said.

 _"And your intentions are…noble?"_ Jane said.

 _"Ask the kids who've been through my program, they'll tell you the good I've done them,"_ Killbane said.

 _"We'll be right back after a few words from our sponsors,"_ Jane said.

* * *

By that point, the Infuego pulled up to the Oppressor that was parked at the docks.

"Fuck. Him." Shaundi said.

"This guy's got a bigger ego than me," Vince said. "Come on, we can't let him trash us on the air."

Vince and Shaundi both got into the helicopter. They both put on headsets and turned on the radio for that interview. The radio was on commercial for a bit.

"We're here, Kinzie, what next?" Vince said.

 _"I've sent you coordinates to several radio towers,"_ Kinzie said. _"Head to the first one and let me know when you've landed."_

The helicopter flew from the docks to the building that was marked on the GPS. Suddenly, the interview was back from its break.

* * *

 _"Before the break, you mentioned the kids you've helped,"_ Jane said.

 _"Ah yes, Killbane's Crunch Camp!"_ Killbane said and let out a soft chuckle. _"It's a two-month summer program that gets kids off the streets and into the ring."_

 _"There's been some concern from parent groups,"_ Jane said.

 _"Well, that's because parents are *beep*,"_ Killbane said. _"Maybe they should focus on a real threat, like the Third Street Saints."_

 _"Strong words,"_ Jane said.

 _"Kids fall down and get hit with steel chairs all the time,"_ Killbane said. _"I'm just providing a safe environment for this to happen. Meanwhile, parents are buying their kids lunchboxes with convicted serial killers on them."_

 _"My exclusive interview with Killbane after these messages,"_ Jane said.

* * *

"Did you hear what that asshole said?" Shaundi said.

"Relax, this guy has his head so far up his ass that it would be hard for anybody to take him seriously," Vince said.

"Not so sure, this guy seems loved by some people, he might get people to see things his way," Shaundi said.

Vince and Shaundi found the roof and saw the helipad and something else they didn't expect to see.

"Kinzie, there's Deckers up here," Vince said.

 _"They probably use these antennas for the Deckers' use-net,"_ Kinzie said. _"Not surprising they'd leave guards."_

"Thanks for the heads up," Vince said.

 _"Use the transmitters I left under the seat,"_ Kinzie said. _"Place one on the radio antenna, then head to the next tower."_

"Wait, how did you have this stuff ready to go?" Vince asked.

 _"Got to go,"_ Kinzie said.

As soon as they landed, Vince and Shaundi got out their AR-55 rifles. The Deckers that were on that roof quickly opened fire. Though they weren't as good with guns as some Morningstar soldiers, or even the Luchadores, they didn't hold back either. Likely because these mercenaries were older than some other Deckers that the Saints had come across. Some were guys, others were women dressed in the same type of gear.

Vince took care of a couple of Deckers that stood near some air conditioner units and dropped them without breaking a sweat. Shaundi did the same as well. All they wanted to do was get a better signal to locate Killbane. It seemed that was all of them. Vince went back to the helicopter and pulled the transmitter out.

Vince led the way with Shaundi behind him so that she could protect him from any other people who may have been left.

"How many gadgets do you think Kinzie's got all over this city by now?" Vince said.

"Who cares? As long as she isn't bugging my bedroom," Shaundi said.

"She wouldn't spy on her own people like that," Vince said.

"You sure about that?" Shaundi said.

"Oh," Vince said. "Remind me to have my room checked when we get back, or at least the one at the penthouse or anywhere."

Vince saw the antenna and headed right for it. "Give me a second to place this thing."

"I'll cover you," Shaundi said.

Vince went up to the antenna and planted the transmitter. It was going to take some time, but all that mattered was if it would get any connection. It didn't take long for it to reach the connection as some things were heard from the radio in the chopper.

"Let's go," Vince said. He and Shaundi ran back to the helicopter and quickly ascended. As soon as that happened, the interview had come back from its break.

* * *

 _"We're back with our exclusive interview,"_ Jane said. _"The controversy over your match against your former partner, Angel De La Muerte…?"_

Killbane chuckled in a cocky fashion. _"People keep talking about a controversy when there isn't any. There can only be one legend. We fought, he lost, I won."_

Jane said, _"If Angel De La Muerte was to come out of hiding, would you face him in a rematch?"_

 _"Without his mask, he is nothing, less than nothing,"_ Killbane said. _"The dirt under my boots gets more respect from me. To consider a rematch would mean admitting he is still worthy of my time."_

 _"Let's hope he's not out there listening in, but to everyone else, we'll have more with Killbane in just a moment,"_ Jane said.

* * *

"Man, I can't imagine what Angel must be feeling right now," Shaundi said.

"This guy is so consumed by so much hate for Killbane that this must be adding more fuel to the fire," Vince said. "I should know when I went through his training."

"Just wondering, but do you think his training could help me?" Shaundi asked.

"You heard about what I went through, it's not worth it," Vince said. "If you want him to train you, I'll talk to him about the basics, not the shit I went through."

They flew to head straight for the next radio tower. It was across town from where they were before. The building was located in downtown, particularly Loren Square.

"So where'd you get these transmitters, anyway, Kinzie," Vince said, after putting her on through a call.

 _"It's safer you don't know,"_ Kinzie quickly replied.

"What does that even mean?" Vince said.

 _"Well, it probably means that it's safer…if you don't know,"_ Kinzie said. _"Look, they work, that's all that matters."_

Shaundi started talking, "What're we going to do about that video the press has?"

"Our PR department can take care of that, right?" Vince said.

"People think we blew up a landmark," Shaundi said. "I don't think it's that easy."

"Then what the hell do we pay them for?" Vince said.

"Covering up the small shit," Shaundi said.

"Since when do we do 'small' shit?" Vince said.

"Good question," Shaundi said.

Vince landed the chopper on the helipad. More Deckers were present, ready to make their move in case the Saints try anything.

They both headed for the stairs to get off the helipad. Many of the Deckers ran out and quickly started firing at them. Vince threw a frag grenade at the group. As soon as the grenade hit the floor, BOOM! A couple of bodies of Deckers even flew over the ledge.

"What the…?" Vince said as he saw on the GPS that the antenna was a bit higher than before.

"What's wrong?"

Vince didn't reply to the question. All he said was "follow me."

Vince and Shaundi ran to the other end and saw flights of stairs that looked like a fire escape. They had some floors to climb, but if it was to lead to the very top where the antenna was, that's all they needed to do.

Once Vince reached another rooftop close to another flight of stairs, a Decker soldier was standing close. He saw Vince coming up. Vince saw him. Rather than just simply gun him down, he quickly grabbed the Decker soldier and threw him off the roof.

"Really, Vince?" Shaundi said.

"What? Sometimes I get tired of shooting people," Vince said. "Got to get creative sometimes."

There was another flight of stairs. Both Saints looked up and it went to the very top of the building. They both run up the stairs. It took a few floors, but they got up there. Vince saw the antenna and another Decker mercenary looking down the ledge from the roof.

"Cover me, Shaundi!" Vince said and started running towards the antenna.

The Decker looked up. It was a woman this time. She had the same type of cyber-goth getup that the other Deckers had. She was quickly drew her Grave Digger shotgun and fired a shot, causing Shaundi to quickly hide behind an AC unit. Even part of the buckshot went close to the metal on the air conditioner unit. The Decker soldier looked in another direction, ready to flank Vince. Shaundi quickly got out of cover and opened fire right to the girl's legs. The female Decker howled in pain from that.

Vince had gotten to the antenna and placed the transmitter on it to get another signal. Meanwhile, Shaundi went over to the female Decker, who slowly slid to grab the shotgun again. She looked up, slowly tried to draw the weapon, but Shaundi pistol-whipped her a bit and kicked the shotgun out of her hand. She picked up the girl and grabbed her and threw her off the roof, hearing the woman scream until a thud hit the ground.

Shaundi and Vince had regrouped, but then Vince's phone rang. He quickly answered.

"Hello," Vince said.

 _"Okay, there, got it,"_ Kinzie said. _"Sending the coordinates of the van."_

"Van?" Vince said.

 _"A broadcasting van,"_ Kinzie said. _"It's where the signal is being sent from."_

"They're inside it?" Vince said.

 _"No, they're not,"_ Kinzie said. _"Use the laser signal tracker to help me find their broadcast location."_

"The what?" Vince said.

 _"The light on the helicopter,"_ Kinzie said to be more specific. _"Shine it on the van."_

Vince and Shaundi ran down the stairs as quickly as possible. They weren't sure how much more time they had. This was about to be even more complicated for them. To make matters quicker, as they got lower, Vince jumped and Shaundi climbed over a railing to land on a ledge to walk along it until they saw the helipad. Once they did, they jumped right onto the pad and headed straight for the chopper.

Vince got into the cockpit, while Shaundi sat in the passenger/cargo area with an open door.

"What are you doing?" Vince said.

"Trying to see if I could get a good shot," Shaundi said as she got out her AR-55 rifle. She even saw a McManus 2015 rifle in that area.

Right when they got into air, Vince turned on the laser to try to track down the signal. Also, the interview continued.

* * *

Jane started talking, _"Murderbrawl XXXI is your upcoming wrestling event. What do you say to the accusations that is 'just legalized killing'?"_

 _"Well, it's entertainment for the masses, nothing more,"_ Killbane said.

 _"But you admit, people do get hurt?"_ Jane said.

 _"Oh, of course they do,"_ Killbane said. _"I may be carved out of sacred marble, but occasionally a chip breaks off. I'm not going to cry about it, I'll just smooth out the edges."_

 _"And what of those who died at the event?"_ Jane said.

 _"Murderbrawl isn't for the weak,"_ Killbane said. _"Jump on a grenade and you have to expect the blast to tear you to meaty blood-soaked pieces."_

 _"There may be children listening,"_ Jane said.

 _"Oh, right,"_ Killbane said. _"Uh, uh, kids, heh, don't play with grenades, it'll just blow your hands off."_

 _"When we come back with Killbane, we'll take a few calls from our listeners,"_ Jane said.

* * *

Vince flew between buildings and with his phone connected to the laser that could pick up the signal, the little bar started to increase. It only meant that the broadcast van was close by. Funnily enough, once the Oppressor flew above an intersection, that same van was seen and the signal started to increase as the laser started to flash over the van.

But suddenly, the van started to go a little faster than before and in a different direction.

"Great, they're running," Shaundi said. "We must have spooked them."

"I got this, don't worry," Vince said.

He continued to follow the van wherever it went. The driver increased the speed a bit. It even went under a couple of tunnels. Vince increased altitude on the helicopter, but descended a bit once they got to another intersection. The signal gauge continued to increase until it got to 100 percent.

"We got it now," Vince said. His phone started to ring and he quickly answered. "Talk to me, Kinzie."

 _"He's in an abandoned office building,"_ Kinzie said. _"Let me send you the location."_

"Nice work, Kinzie," Vince said. "Now let's rile him up."

Shaundi turned to Vince. "What're you gonna do?"

 _"Okay, patching your cell through,"_ Kinzie said.

"What's going on?" Shaundi said.

The interview was now back on.

 _"Looks like we have a caller,"_ Jane said. _"You're on the air with Killbane. What's your question?"_

"Listen, you fat piece of shit," Vince said. "You…"

But Killbane cut him off. _"I'm sorry, do you have a question for me?"_

Vince replied, "Yeah, I'm going to come down there and tear your goddamn throat out!"

 _"Um, perhaps this has gone just a bit too far,"_ Jane said.

 _"I'm not sure that's a question, either,"_ Killbane said. _"It sounds more like a threat."_

"No, it's a promise," Vince said.

 _"Okay, we need to-,"_ Jane said.

 _"Ooh, someone talked to a washed-up wrestler, and now he thinks he could cut a promo!"_ Killbane said with so much condescension in his voice.

"Listen, Eddie…," Vince said.

 _"NO ONE CALLS ME THAT!"_ Killbane yelled.

 _"Buddy, I am gonna skull fuck y-,"_ Vince said.

Jane cut him off. _"And that's all the time we have. Thank you, Killbane. This has been Jane Valderamma with a special interview."_

The chopper got closer, according to the GPS. The building had a tall antenna, almost as if it was a transmitter as well as a satellite dish on the rooftop. It appeared to be in Espina.

"This looks like the place," Shaundi said.

"Clear 'em out, quick and quiet," Vince said.

"Quietly?" Shaundi said.

"Well, quiet-ish," Vince said.

The chopper was set to land. A couple of Deckers had come out and quickly opened fire. Bullets had hit the bottom of the helicopter, but Shaundi quickly mowed the two Deckers with her assault rifle.

The chopper had landed. It was time to get inside the building. Vince and Shaundi headed right for the door. The door opened, the staircase went downward but looked like it was unfinished. Probably this floor of the building was unfinished.

A couple of Deckers came to the area of the stairwell. Without hesitation, one of them started letting some shots. Both Vince and Shaundi dropped to get out of range of this person's sight. Vince lied there and looked through an opening and got out his Kobra and fired a slug right to the Decker soldier's head. Blood had splattered right to the wall as the body had dropped.

Another Decker slowly walked up the stairs, likely to try to get the drop on the two Saints, but was met seven shots to the chest from Shaundi's rifle.

"I was told by Kinzie that these people were young," Vince said and walked up to the body of one of them. "They look older to me."

"Something tells me that Matt Miller has some skilled mercs on his payroll," Shaundi said. "Despite us killing them, these guys looked experienced."

"Where the hell is Killbane?" Vince asked as he looked through the doorway.

"I bet that reporter knows," Shaundi said. "Let's ask."

Out of nowhere, a burst of light that had a shade of light blue came out. Once Shaundi and Vince got close to the doorway, it appeared that there was a glow with that same color, almost like a black-light or something to that same effect.

Vince looked up and saw more Decker mercenaries on that same floor. From a distance, Jane Valderamma ducked.

"We got to get through them first," Vince said.

This floor was clearly unfinished, with ladders and crates, as well as spools and wood palettes. Both Saints stood behind the wall near the doorway.

"On three," Vince said. "One, two…"

Vince turned around and quickly fired at a couple of Deckers with such ease. He aimed at their heads and they quickly dropped.

Vince got into the room that was still under construction and both of them quickly shot at a couple of other Deckers. Through Vince's peripherals, he saw the same burst of light and a minor explosion occurred, causing him and Shaundi to get off their feet and fall to the floor.

"What the fuck was that?!" Shaundi said.

"Hell if I know!" Vince said. He sat up and saw what looked like a young woman in a jacket and skirt with blue and pink patterns and what looked like skates. She was holding a couple of GAL 43s in her hands. She kept moving at a fast speed.

Vince and Shaundi looked at each other. They didn't say a word, but they knew exactly what they were thinking. They quickly ran in different directions. That girl kept on moving in a flash. Neither Saint was sure if this girl had some teleportation skills or if it was a strobe effect and moved quickly with her roller-skates.

The girl even got what looked like a hammer of some sort off her back and swung it downward. Vince quickly dove out of her way and saw that same type of explosion as before. It was almost like a shockwave.

While Vince was on the floor, he laid five shots right to the girl and she dropped. He looked at that hammer that the girl was wielding and looked up and heard a ding.

Shaundi had dropped a few Deckers and sat close to a stack of wooden planks. She looked up and saw an elevator door open and more Deckers came out. She looked over at Vince, who held up that hammer. Shaundi showed him a flash-bang grenade that she happened to have. Vince nodded. Shaundi chucked the grenade right to the group of Deckers. A big flash emitted. Vince used this time to run towards them with the hammer. He saw the way that girl from before swung it. So he jumped up, spun over in mid-air and swung the hammer down right the floor and BOOM! A shockwave explosion occurred, causing all of the other Deckers to drop. Shaundi ran right towards Vince. They both fired their guns to any of them who seemed to have still been breathing.

Jane got up and looked around. The two Saints turned around and noticed that the reporter was still standing there. They both started approaching her, as she stood in the area where the interview took place. There were generators present to give the lights and cameras power.

"It's been a while," Jane said. "You look good."

"Where's Killbane?" Vince said.

"He mentioned heading north," Jane said. "You're not…after me about the interview, are you?"

"No, we're not," Vince said. "But I just need to tell you one thing. We did not blow up the bridge. That was not us who did it. We have a feeling that it could have been Killbane or someone who is connected."

"I see," Jane said and looked away a bit.

"Look, I'll try to contact you soon," Vince said. "Back to the chopper. We're going after Killbane."

"Let's put a bullet in that son of a bitch," Shaundi said.

Vince and Shaundi took off while Jane looked at them so much confusion on her face. They wasted no time as it wasn't long until they reached the chopper.

The helicopter took off. The streets were a little emptier than usual on a night like this, but from a distance, a car was rolling down the street. It looked like an Infuego with a green and black color scheme.

"I see him," Vince said. "I'll get you above him."

"Just keep it steady so I can get a shot," Shaundi said.

"Make it count," Vince said.

The chopper moved closer to the car on the road. Vince got it a little farther ahead so that Shaundi could make her move. He turned the chopper sideways. Shaundi sat there with her McManus rifle. She looked through the scope. Killbane was right in the crosshair.

"Gotcha," Shaundi said.

But suddenly, the helicopter started spinning in the air, with the alarming sound indicating that it was losing control.

"DAMN IT!" Shaundi yelled. "What did you do?!"

"What did I do?" Vince said in such a way that he didn't know what was going on. "I don't fucking know!"

"Learn to fucking fly!" Shaundi said.

"What the fuck do you think I've been doing this whole time?!" Vince said.

The Oppressor continued to spin around, as the Infuego rolled right past them.

"Fuck this, we have to jump," Vince said.

Even though the helicopter was spinning around, there was a moment when it was low enough for the two to jump to safety, safely, no less. The helicopter was low enough. It was now or never. Vince quickly moved from the moved from the cockpit. He grabbed Shaundi by wrapping his arms around her.

"I got you, just hold on!" Vince said.

Both people took deep breaths and quickly made the leap of faith. It was still low enough that they would not be hurt when they hit the ground. They jumped. Vince continued to hold onto Shaundi and landed on his back, closest to his right onto the pavement. He looked up and saw that the helicopter ascending and spinning and also slanting until it dropped and crashed onto the pavement.

"Wow," Vince said. Shaundi also sat up and looked up.

"Wow, yes, good thing we jumped," Shaundi said.

Vince let go and slowly got up and said "ow" in the process. Shaundi did, too. Vince limped a bit as he started to walk and he saw that Shaundi wasn't as hurt as he was, but looked a bit peeved.

"You alright?" Vince said.

"I had him!" Shaundi said.

"I know, I know," Vince said. "It's not your fault. Something weird happened."

Out of nowhere, Vince felt a vibration in his pocket. He got out his phone and received a new message. The picture of the contact had a light blue skull with a star on the eye and the contact read Matt Miller. The message read, "Cheers ;)"

"Ah, shit!" Vince said.

"What happened?" Shaundi said.

"That Miller guy fucked us, that's what," Vince said. "Come on, let's go home."

Vince limped a bit.

"Listen, I'll call someone to pick us up," Shaundi said. "Maybe Pierce or Johnny."

"Let's go somewhere closer," Vince said. "Let's go to Z's place."

"Zimos, oh no, I'm not going there," Shaundi said.

"Shaundi, please, I need to rest," Vince said. "I need to go somewhere close now."

"Okay, I'll call him," Shaundi said.

* * *

**MEANWHILE, ELSEWHERE…**

Inside Matt Miller's personal command center, he sat in front of his computer. He had been looking up some files on some other things. One thing grabbed his attention and that was of a female MI6 agent. This agent looked Indian and had beautiful green eyes, at least that's what it seemed from her picture and her profile read that she had green eyes. It was said her name was Asha Odekar.

Matt was a bit intrigued by what he saw. He wondered if he should try doing something about her career or to just leave her alone. Another thing that grabbed his attention, as an ad for STAG started playing on another monitor, featuring Josh Birk as Nyte Blayde. Matt was a big fan of Nyte Blayde and wondered if he should try to do something else to get STAG to turn more of their attention on the Saints. If he was in Steelport, maybe this could be a good opportunity for him to meet him.

It seemed that one thing was more important at the moment, as something was currently happening. He wanted to do something about the Saints and about STAG. He just had to figure out what he should do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, what a chapter this was. I will admit that I had a hard time coming up with a way to do this, but I managed to do it.
> 
> Yes, I made a reference to Asha, but I doubt that I am going to have her appear at all in this story. In fact, I don't think that there is a reason for her to appear because for one, she is a British agent and I don't think that there is a reason for an MI6 agent to get involved in American affairs. It could be argued about the prologue from SR4, but I think it was because they were dealing with an international terrorist. And no, I am not going to have Matt try to ruin her career like he did with Kinzie. Like I said, it was just a passing reference.
> 
> Next up, I'm having trouble deciding what I will do. Maybe an interlude or maybe another mission bit. I shall see.


	30. Special Treatment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another interlude chapter. It takes place right after the events of the previous chapter.
> 
> WARNING: This chapter will contain some sexual content. Read it at your own discretion. You've been warned.

Right the helicopter had crashed when Shaundi had failed in getting a shot on Killbane, she and Vince found themselves somewhat stranded. In the weeks, even close to a month since they had been in Steelport, Vince knew exactly where he was.

He had called Zimos and asked if he and Shaundi can crash at his place after what he had just gone through. Though Vince was able to walk, he was still in a bit of pain after jumping onto the pavement. He had Shaundi in his arms and while she felt some pain, it wasn't as bad as the pain he was in.

The two walked a few blocks until they were in front of a Friendly Fire in Espina. Shaundi was ahead of Vince. She turned around and saw that Vince walked slowly. He winced a bit, his teeth were visible, and his right hand rubbed the right side of his torso.

Shaundi's eyes widened. "Oh my god, Vince, are you okay?"

"I told you…I'm fine," Vince said, when it was clear that he wasn't.

"No, you're not fine," Shaundi said. "You really need to lie down soon."

A purple and black Churchill pulled up. A black woman happened to be driving. She looked to her right and immediately pulled over. Vince kept aching but tried to move. Shaundi went to him and put his left arm over her shoulder. She looked up and the Churchill slowly backed towards them. The woman got out.

"Hey, are you guys okay?" the woman said.

"We're fine, we don't need any help," Shaundi said.

"Shaundi," Vince said. "I know her."

Shaundi looked at the woman. She looked like a hooker. She had a miniskirt, a jacket, and a button-down shirt that was tied at the bottom that bared her midriff and unbuttoned a bit at the top exposing her cleavage. She even wondered if she worked as a stripper as well.

"Excuse me, who are you?" Shaundi said.

"I'm Venus," the hooker said. "I'm one of Zimos's ladies. He sent me to look for y'all."

Shaundi looked at Vince, who nodded his head to verify that it's her.

"I can give y'all a ride back to the pad," Venus said. "Come on, get in."

Shaundi got to the door to the backseat and opened it. Vince slowly got in, while Shaundi kept an eye on him. Once he was in, she got in soon after.

"Sit tight, you two," Venus said. "I'm taking you back to the pad."

Venus put the car back in drive and they were off. Zimos's pad was not far from where they were. It didn't take long for Venus to get to Zimos's Car Wash. The light on the sign was shining, as were some of the street-lights.

Shaundi got out of the car. Vince got out through his side. He still struggled to move, but he managed.

Venus turned around to the two Saints. "Damn, what happened to you?"

"I jumped from a helicopter," Vince said.

"Shit, I'm surprised you're standing right now," Venus said.

"I did the same thing," Shaundi said. "It wasn't that high."

"I hear that, come on, I'll get you to Z's place," Venus said.

Vince and Shaundi walked up the stairs. Z's pad was up a few floors. Shaundi noticed that there were multiple doors in the hallways. It was likely where the other ladies were staying. After all, it seemed like Zimos owned this whole place, as the car wash had his name on it.

Venus led the way and finally found the room with the big Z on it. She knocked on the door.

 _"Who is it?"_ a voice said, though it sounded like Zimos.

"It's Venus, those people are with me," Venus said.

The door opened. Zimos stood there and gave the gesture for everyone to come in. Shaundi looked around. She was sort of weird out, yet intrigued by the layout of Zimos's pad. She even saw what looked like a sex worker sleeping on a couch, but she was fully clothed.

 _"Hey, Playa, how you doin'?"_ Zimos said.

"I'm a bit fucked up," Vince said. "Can we crash here for tonight? We got into some shit out there."

 _"Sure thing, my brotha, you know you always welcome in my place, ya dig?"_ Zimos said and looked towards Shaundi. _"Hey there, little lady, how you been, girl?"_

"Z, please don't talk to me," Shaundi said.

 _"Something wrong, girl?"_ Zimos said.

"This is about that Spring Break when I was in college," Shaundi said.

 _"Oh shit, I thought you looked familiar when I saw you,"_ Zimos said. _"I almost didn't recognize you without the dreads."_

"You had dreads?" Venus said.

"A while ago," Shaundi said.

 _"Listen, you two can sleep in my room tonight,"_ Zimos said. _"One of y'all can sleep on the floor. Whatever works. I got an extra room, but someone else is in there right now."_

"We'll figure something out," Shaundi said. "Come on, I need to see how bad you look right now."

"I'm fine," Vince said.

Shaundi shot him a look of "Come on, really?" Vince sighed. Zimos guided the two to his bedroom so that they could talk about what they could do. Shaundi went inside, but Vince got out for a bit.

"Um, Z, I got to ask, did Luz ever come by after all of the shit that happened earlier?" Vince said.

 _"She sure did, she got here safely,"_ Zimos said. _"That is one fine Latina piece of ass, by the way. She sleepin' in the other room."_

"Hey, hey, easy there, tiger," Vince said.

 _"Chill out, my brotha, I ain't got into that, like you said earlier,"_ Zimos said. _"But if you cool with it…"_

"I get that, but we'll talk about that later," Vince said. "I need to lie down."

Zimos nodded, turned around, and walked away as the door closed.

* * *

As soon as the door closed, Shaundi sat on the bed and looked at Vince, who continued to limp forward.

"You are _not_ fine," Shaundi said.

"What are you talking about?" Vince said.

"The way you're moving, I know that it wasn't that high off the ground when he jumped, but you hit your back pretty hard against the pavement," Shaundi said.

"Shaundi, you know that I have been through a lot worse than this," Vince said.

"I know, which is why I'm a little concerned," Shaundi said. "I know you've been shot and have gotten hurt many times, but really, nobody is made of iron. I really need to look at you right now. I'm surprised we didn't go to a hospital."

"Will you stop? I know I'll be fine in the morning," Vince said.

"Vince," Shaundi said and went through a pause and took a deep breath. "Please, take off your shirt."

"What?" Vince said.

"I said take off your shirt!" Shaundi said. "I need to look at you right now."

Vince wore a violet long-sleeve button-down. He went forth to unbutton his shirt. He was wearing a white undershirt. He proceeded to take that one off as well. As soon as he was shirtless, a look of concern rose on Shaundi's face. She put her right hand to her mouth. Right around Vince's abdomen and his right, he was red, bordering on purple.

"Turn around," Shaundi said.

Vince turned around and saw that Vince was also bruised on his back.

"Oh my god," Shaundi said as her voice cracked a bit. "Come here."

Vince approached her as she sat on the bed. As soon as he sat down, Shaundi pushed him to lie down.

"Look, I think you should give it a few days before you do anything crazy again," Shaundi said.

"I think I'll be okay in the morning," Vince said.

Shaundi rubbed her right hand down Vince's chest and down his stomach a bit.

"I know why you had it be you that hit the ground," Shaundi said.

"What do you mean?" Vince said as he looked Shaundi directly at her brown eyes.

"Come on, I see the way you look at me sometimes, at least the way you looked at me lately," Shaundi said. "I know you care about your friends. We're all a family in different ways, but with me, it's a little different."

Vince gulped a bit. "Um, um…"

"Oh, don't be so nervous," Shaundi said as he started to rub Vince's face as she looked at his blue eyes and at his facial hair. "It's okay. You're here with me."

She said that with such a breathy whisper. It was almost as if she suspected that Vince had been eyeing her lately. Though Shaundi had quite a body count on her, she had wondered why she hadn't had anything meaningful. She even suspected that Vince had some other women as well, but he wasn't always open about it. He usually kept his sex life to himself.

"Okay, you got me," Vince said. "You're right, I have been feeling a certain way towards you lately. Yes, I have seen you in a bikini and gym clothes before, but when I saw you in those recently, it gave me a funny feeling seeing you like that. I know you have had your history with some guys back in Stilwater. I wouldn't even doubt if you had fucked any of our crew. You have changed so much since the dreadlocked stoner that you were when we first met."

At that point, he started to rub his hand against her face. "Sit up." He said as he helped her get out of that small jacket she was wearing. Her crop top was sleeveless.

"I was wondering, whatever happened to that guy who won your show, at least in the first season," Vince said.

"Puerto Rican Thunder God? He was sweet, but his performance didn't live up to the name," Shaundi said with a smile.

"You know, with you having a lot of exes, as well as banging some of the crew when you first started, I'm surprised you never gave me a shot," Vince said. "Shit, I even saw some tension between you and Pierce a few times."

"Pierce is okay, but he's too into his own shit," Shaundi said. "As for you, well you never asked me." She smiled some more. "Besides, when I saw you in your towel, it gave me some of those feelings, too."

"I'm asking you now," Vince said. Their faces started getting closer, and closer until their lips locked. They kissed. Chills went through their veins the moment that happened.

They backed from each other and sat up and looked at each other in the eye once again like they can't believe they just kissed. But the two went in for another in different angles from each other's faces. Shaundi got to her feet. It wasn't long until Vince's lips went for Shaundi's neck and down to her cleavage from her top. He even noticed her bare midriff and thought that she had a nice sleek midsection and ever since she started working out more, he noticed she had gained some abs in the process. He guided his lips down to her stomach and even licked it, as well as her navel.

Shaundi kicked off her boots. Vince went for the waistband of her tight pants and pulled them down slowly, revealing a small pink and purple thong. He quickly pulled the rest of her pants off and quickly went for her top as he pulled it up. Shaundi raised her arms as Vince kept pulling it up, revealing a strapless matching pink and purple bra.

They both went and kissed each other again. As that was happening, Shaundi reached for Vince's waistband of his bands, undoing his belt, then buttoned, and unzipped his pants. She quickly pulled them down. It was clear that they were both excited. Vince even cupped Shaundi's breasts. Shaundi closed her eyes and titled her head back as a smile rose on her face.

Vince and Shaundi looked at each other in the eye again like they were ready to kiss and make out again.

"You are so beautiful," Vince said.

"And you are so handsome," Shaundi said as she reached into his briefs and started to rub him a bit.

Vince leaned his head against Shaundi's breastplate and reached behind her to unhook her bra. Once her bra was off, he went straight for her boobs by rubbing his face against them, as well as placing his lips against her nipples.

They both got back on the bed. Shaundi lied with her back towards Vince as he continued to play her breasts and the rest of her torso. It was only a matter of time until his hands reached down there.

Shaundi's eyes popped open, as did her mouth. He mouth opened agape, like she was feeling a nice sensation. She quickly turned around with a seductive look on her face. She crawled backwards and slowly pulled down Vince's briefs. The excitement was at an all-time high. She went down and started to go to work with her lips wrapped around his boner.

"Oh yes! Oh yeah!" Vince leaned back with his eyes closed. "Now it's my turn."

Shaundi crawled and slid against the headboard of the bed. Vince looked at her beautiful body up and down and at her beautiful face. Those eyes, those lips, those breasts, and those hips, they were enough to make this man go crazy. He slowly pulled down her thong. As soon as it was off, he put his face right in between her thick thighs and went to work down there.

"Oh yes!" Shaundi said. "OH YES!"

Once Vince got his face and made eye contact with Shaundi, the first thing he said was, "Are you ready?"

"Oh yeah, I'm ready," Shaundi said with a lustful look on her face.

Vince remembered that he had a few extra condoms in his wallet, especially since he used one of them when he had sex with Luz a few days prior. He took it out and put it on and ready was to go in.

"Fuck me, Vince," Shaundi said.

Vince said nothing and went right in and sprawled right on her. They were both so sweaty but it didn't matter. He thrust slowly at first.

"No, I said 'fuck me'!" Shaundi said.

It was then Vince started going a little harder. So much passion, so much fire, it was clear that this was some undue sexual tension that needed to be let loose.

Shaundi signaled. Vince got on his back. Shaundi got on top and stuck Vince's cock in her. She started riding him, as he clasped his breasts once again. It wasn't long until he sat up and put his face against her tits again and started licking and sucking her nipples.

They kept going and going, until Shaundi grunted and groaned, as she slowly got off of him. Vince even climaxed at the same time. Shaundi lied there and looked at Vince in the eye with a smile and leaned in to kiss him on the mouth.

"That was great," Shaundi said.

Vince didn't say anything, but he ran his hand through her brunette hair. Even though it was full of sweat, he didn't care.

"Has it been a while since you fucked a woman?" Shaundi said.

"No, it hasn't been that long," Vince said.

"I see, it's just that I don't see you try to talk to other women," Shaundi said. "I see that some of the girls in our crew look at you sometimes, like Aimee or Lucy, or even Precious."

"Precious? The one with her hair dyed white?" Vince said.

"Yes, her, I even heard her talking how she would totally fuck you," Shaundi said.

"Well, my mind hasn't been on women lately," Vince said.

"You've been looking at me lately," Shaundi said. "I just want to know why you haven't even tried."

Vince sighed and looked at her. "I don't want things to get awkward between us."

"Why would they?" Shaundi said.

"I don't want things to get in the way of any other matters," Vince said. "I felt a connection with Lin a long time ago. This was when I first joined. But then she was killed. I haven't really had much of a real connection in a while. That isn't to say that I didn't have opportunities. I remember kind of having something like that with Tera for a bit, but it was mostly physical. That's not to say that I haven't had my share of flings and stuff, but nothing beyond that."

Shaundi was at a loss. It was clear what Vince was saying. She even wondered if she had anything real at all before. Though she was annoyed by Josh Birk, she often wondered if this guy was just in love with himself that he thought he could have any woman he wanted, but she clearly didn't go for it. Veteran Child was an ex that she would rather not endure. Though he was alright before, but when he kidnapped her, that's when things went a little too far.

It wasn't long until Vince fell asleep. She went to turn off the light and went to sleep.

* * *

It was now morning. The two got up. Vince still ached a bit, but it wasn't as bad as before. He looked to Shaundi and was still asleep. He went ahead and put his clothes on. He got out of the bedroom and saw that Luz was standing around ready to take off to go to work.

"Luz?" Vince said.

Luz looked up. "Oh, buenos días, guapo." She said "good morning, handsome" in Spanish.

"Hey, did you get here safely yesterday?" Vince said.

"Yeah, I did," Luz said. "What happened out there?"

"Shit's been crazy," Vince said. "Those STAG guys have gone after us and other gangs. I had to keep them away from my crew. Plus, those people will kill random people like it's nothing."

"I see," Luz said.

"Did Z try to...?" Vince said.

"No, he didn't, but I could tell what kind of guy he is," Luz said. "But he respected my boundaries."

"That's good," Vince said. He shouldn't feel jealous about this, but knowing that pimps have their ways with women, as well as Luz's history with certain types of men, it was just something that he was curious about. Even if Zimos did hit on her, let alone have sex with her, he shouldn't feel jealous.

It wasn't long until Luz took off. Whether it was to go to work or to go to her apartment, she was just leaving. She looked like she cleaned herself up. Maybe she had some extra clothes with her after all the stuff that happened with STAG the previous day.

After Luz left, Vince turned around and saw Shaundi coming out of the room. She had her clothes on, except for the jacket, which she was carrying.

"Oh, Shaundi, good morning," Vince said.

"What was that?" Shaundi said.

"What was what?" Vince said.

"That woman you were talking to, that's the same girl you let stay with us," Shaundi said. "Is something going on between you two?"

"Not really, just checking on her to see how things went yesterday," Vince said. "She was working during that shit with STAG yesterday."

Shaundi looked way and then looked at Vince. There was something that told her that something happened between them. The question was why she was jealous. She knew that he and Vince weren't together.

"I see, well, I have to go back to Brickston," Shaundi said. "See if everyone is okay over there."

"Okay, cool," Vince said. "I think you're right, by the way. I need to give it at least a few days before I go make another move on the Deckers and STAG."

"Right," Shaundi said in a mildly cold way. It was clear that she suspected something between Vince and Luz, even though those two talked in a casual way.

* * *

**STAG PR CENTER**

Later that day, Cyrus and Kia met with someone. It was with someone at Ultor. It was Dex. They talked in the boardroom.

"So you see, Commander Temple," Dex said. "With our partnership, Ultor's providing you with this big computer system that could help you try to get more data of the gangs here in Steelport."

"Interesting, Mr. Jackson," Cyrus said. "But will this give me all the files I need and also the skills to try to stop gangs through hacking? From what I've read, it seems that one of the gangs here in Steelport are experts at hacking through cyberspace, way beyond our expertise"

"I'm sure I can provide you people with any blue-hats or technicians so that you can do what you do best," Dex said.

"Okay, I can work with that," Cyrus said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some ideas just hit me and this was one of them. I had wanted to do something with Vince (the Boss) and Shaundi lately and I thought of the perfect scenario. This was an interlude and I had been doing stuff like that.
> 
> I will note that because I started playing the game again recently, I think when I describe Kinzie's warehouse again, I may have to do it correctly because it turned out that her computer system was upstairs. Not a big deal, but still.
> 
> As for that last bit at the end, you guessed it. Next up, the Saints try to go and acquire a super computer. Stay tuned.


	31. Learning Computer

It had been about a week since Vince had done anything. He needed to relax a bit after the injury he suffered from jumping out of the helicopter. But really, if he and Shaundi were in the chopper, they would have been killed. Both saw the way the helicopter crashed after the jump.

After that, Vince and Shaundi stayed over at Zimos's pad to rest after what had occurred. The two had confessed that they had been feeling something for each other, but Shaundi had an idea that Vince had slept with another woman before the two slept with each other. Vince had hardly talked to Shaundi that much. She had been a bit short with him when she gave him an idea, so he felt like he needed to give her a break for a bit, just like how he needed a break from everything that had been going on. He stayed alone at the penthouse at Safeword while everyone else was elsewhere. He needed to be alone for a bit.

He hadn't really talked to Pierce or Johnny, or even Zimos or Kinzie. He had spoken to Angel, though, who had heard the interview, whose rage and hatred for Killbane had risen even more and told Vince to come and do some other training, but not in the same way that he had trained before. Vince said that he needed to heal a bit from the pain. Though Angel tried to argue the part about pain, Vince had told him that he jumped out of a helicopter and hit the pavement pretty hard. He said he'll do it when he's ready, but right now, he needed to get to the bottom of who had the helicopter crash to begin with.

But first, he needed to go to the source. There was person in the Saints who knew a lot about the Deckers, and Vince suspected that the Deckers had something to do with the helicopter crash.

It was close to evening time. He went down to the garage at the bottom of Safeword and got in his Phoenix and reached for his phone to call that person.

 _"Hello, Boss? What's up?"_ Kinzie said.

"The Deckers are a problem, Kinzie," Vince said.

 _"I've been working on that,"_ Kinzie said.

"And what have you come up with?" Vince asked.

 _"Well, I guess you were bound to be here someday,"_ Kinzie said.

"What are you talking about?" Vince said.

 _"Come to my place,"_ Kinzie said. _"I'll show you what we're going to need."_

"I will," Vince said. "By the way, I've been by your place before. I think I might need some extra help on this."

 _"What? You're bringing someone to my inner sanctum?"_ Kinzie said.

"Kinzie, I can't do all this alone, and besides, you have some company, right?" Vince said.

Kinzie sighed in annoyance. _"Fine, bring by whoever you need to bring."_

The call ended and Vince called one person who he felt he should call.

 _"Hey, Boss, what's up?"_ Pierce said.

"Pierce, are you busy right now?" Vince said.

 _"Not really, just got done with Johnny and Oleg doing some training with Angel,"_ Pierce said. _"Why? What's goin' on?"_

"I need you to meet at Kinzie's place," Vince said. "Hope Angel didn't have you drive with a tiger or try to burn you alive."

 _"What? What are you talking about?"_ Pierce said.

"Nothing, just meet me at Kinzie's place," Vince said.

* * *

Vince pulled up in front the warehouse at the docks. Through his rearview mirror, he saw a purple Infuego pulling up. It had to be Pierce. Vince parked his Phoenix. Before Pierce could park, he turned the car around and backed it towards the door to the warehouse.

Vince had gotten out and stood by his car as Pierce got out of his car.

"Ready to go in?" Vince said as Pierce approached him.

Pierce looked at the place. "I guess, yeah, but shit, what kind of place does Kinzie stay at?"

"She likes all the extra room and very little people around," Vince said.

"I'm just saying that a warehouse is a little much for just one girl," Pierce said. "At least Angel has the main casino part as his own personal gym."

"I guess, anyway, let's go inside and see what Kinzie wants," Vince said.

A couple of Saints stood by the overhead door to the warehouse. One guy had a Caesar-style haircut and wore a purple and white Saints jacket. Another had a purple hooded sweatshirt and stood on the other side of the door.

"Lucas, Cappie, what are you guys doing here?" Vince said.

"Just guarding the place, you know how it goes," Lucas, the one with the white and purple Saints jacket said.

"Good work, you guys, but maybe you guys can also try to find other places the Deckers run," Vince said. "We got plenty of security all around here. Kinzie doesn't usually like people around here."

Cappie added, "We know, but we're afraid that someone will try to go in and cap her."

Vince knew that the warehouse was secure and that it was the last place the Deckers would try to look.

"Well, as long as you try to keep an eye on things, that's all that matters," Vince said. "Excuse us, we got to go in."

Vince and Pierce went to the door as the two Saints looked on. Lucas looked like he was reaching for his phone but held off until the two high-ranking members entered the warehouse.

Once they entered the warehouse, Vince said "Hello" loudly.

"I'm up here, you guys," Kinzie said from a distance. Though her little command center was upstairs and a bit farther from where they were.

Vince and Pierce went to a staircase and walked up the stairs to the area where Kinzie had her living stuff, like the bedroom with bunk beds. There was even the living room with two Joe Cola machines and a Saints Flow machine, as well as a coffee table and TV. Finally, they found her "inner sanctum," where her computer system was, among other things.

Kinzie heard the footsteps. "You can hit the light."

She sat right in front of many TV and computer monitors, as well as large stacks of newspapers and other things. Pierce and Vince walked in and were flabbergasted by what they just saw. Vince had been there already, but not lately, even though she had stuff set up for him to play that game for her to gain information on the Deckers. However, Pierce hadn't been in there.

Vince looked around and saw that had a lot more in there than before.

"It's...homey," Vince said.

Pierce saw a newspaper clipping. It was of an article that related to fallen Saints member Lin, as it was speculated that she came back as a zombie many years prior. He quickly put the clipping back on the wall and continued to look around.

"I don't see a bed," Pierce said.

"Sleep is forbidden," Kinzie said, as she sat in one of her chairs looking at her laptop.

But Vince wanted to get down to business. It had been a week since that incident with the helicopter.

"What the fuck did the Deckers do to the chopper?" Vince said.

Kinzie looked up and back to the screen. "Matt must have hacked into its flight computer and fried it with an EMP."

This place continued to arouse Pierce's curiosity, as one thing that drew his attention was that Kinzie had a gimp mask on a statue head on a shelf.

"You can do that?" Pierce asked.

"You can do a lot worse," Kinzie said as she continued to look at her computer. "If Matt gets the Decker use-net plugged into the central power-grid, it's…trust me, it's bad."

For some reason, Pierce showed Vince that statue head with the gimp mask on it. Vince looked at him like he didn't know what to say to that. Pierce threw the head on the floor.

"So how do we nail the Deckers?" Vince said.

"If I could worm into their mainframe, I'd do all sorts of naughty things," Kinzie said. "But I don't have the gear for that."

Out of the blue, or purple, as Vince saw Pierce holding a giant purple dildo in his hand. He had seen one of those things at Safeword. Vince turned around and signaled to Pierce to stop picking up random stuff and to put that thing away.

"What would you need?" Vince said.

"Something like this." Kinzie turned her laptop around to show the monitor to Vince and Pierce. On the screen, it displayed what looked like a schematic for super computer. The bottom left-hand corner of the screen said "STAG COMPUTER SYSTEMS 1.4." It also read the core analysis and speed.

"That's one of the most powerful learning computers in North America," Kinzie said. "And STAG's got one. It seemed that Ultor provided them with this particular model."

Suddenly, another screen popped up on the monitor with Matt Miller stating, _"Thanks for the tip, Agent Kensington."_

"Ah! Damn it!" Kinzie said.

"Wait, that punk kid is Matt?" Vince said.

On the screen, Matt gave a crazy laugh. _"That punk kid is the cyber-god who just crashed your helicopter. Cheers!"_

The screen got off Kinzie's computer. Vince stood there like he didn't know what to think. He realized that Matt Miller had all the tools to really stick it to them, but he also saw that this guy was just a kid. He was going to beat him one way or another, but at the same time, it was hard to take that guy seriously.

Kinzie said, "His people are probably halfway to the computer by now."

She paused for a bit and turned to look up at Vince and Pierce. "Go!"

It was time for Vince and Pierce to go get that computer. If Kinzie said that this would help take down the Deckers, then there was no reason to stop.

* * *

They both got outside the warehouse.

"We're taking your car, Pierce," Vince said.

"Okay, but I just got it fixed," Pierce said.

"Not the time to think about that," Vince said.

He started the car. He quickly called Kinzie, and she quickly answered.

 _"Yeah, Boss?"_ Kinzie said.

"Kinzie, where's the computer being held?" Vince said.

 _"At the STAG PR Center, hurry,"_ Kinzie said.

There was no time to lose. As soon as he got on the road from the docks, he had to race to get to that place. As soon as he got to Brickston, he swerved to the right to follow what the GPS said. To him, the best option was to follow the bridge that connected Brickston and Loren Square.

Pierce turned to Vince and said, "So you and Shaundi were beaten by a little punk like Miller?"

"Beaten?" Vince said in such a mildly angry tone. "He crashed our fucking helicopter."

"That sounds like you lost to me," Pierce said.

"Put me in a room with Miller and we'll see who loses," Vince said in a rather stern tone. He didn't yell, but one could that he was still a bit peeved about what had happened.

Vince hit the gas again and started to swerve around some other cars on the freeway. Though Vince saw that Matt Miller was younger than he initially expected, he was still upset about what happened, and also annoyed how he rubbed it in the Saints' faces.

All of a sudden, Vince's phone rang.

"Hey, Kinzie, what's up?" Vince said.

 _"Are you there yet?"_ Kinzie said.

"Calm down, we'll get there," Vince said.

 _"I don't want that little bastard beating me again,"_ Kinzie said.

"Don't worry, he won't," Vince said.

The call ended. The GPS showed that they were not far from the STAG PR Center.

"Kinzie's a little high-strung, don't you think?" Pierce said.

"She barely goes out and stares at that screen most of the time," Vince said. "I'm surprised she's still sane."

"You sure she still is?" Pierce said. "I saw some of the shit she's got in her crib. I didn't think she was _that_ freaky. Maybe she needs a man, or a woman, or some shit."

"Why, are you volunteering?" Vince said. "You got the hots for her or something?"

"What? No, not the case at all," Pierce said. "I'm just sayin'."

Vince replied, "I don't know, Pierce. After you told me that you collect blowup dolls and when I asked if you go to BDSM clubs, something tells me that you might share something with the girl. I saw you holding those things. I think you want some of Kinzie."

"Man, shut up!" Pierce said.

Vince continued to drive. They were now in Loren Square. It wasn't long until they pulled up to the STAG PR Center. Both Saints looked to their left and saw blue and black Solars and Kayaks parked in front.

"Shit, looks like the Deckers started the party," Pierce said.

"Well, guess we're crashing then," Vince said.

Vince made a hard left and hit the brakes and parked right next to a planter in front the PR center. He saw a red light coming from above. It seemed that one of STAG's snipers had sniped some of the Deckers, as a gunfight had occurred between both groups. The two Saints quickly got out of the car and ran towards the wall to get out of the sniper's line of sight.

"We better get in there before they take that thing," Pierce said.

Several Deckers, including some girls who had acquired the same type of skills as that one girl on skates, were out there trying to fight off STAG members, and the two Saints. But Vince and Pierce were there for only one thing. They ran along the wall to head for the front door. They got inside.

"Damn, there's even more in here," Pierce said.

"And these STAG guys are supposed to be able to take down gangs?" Vince said.

Inside the lobby, several Deckers got into another shootout with STAG. The lobby had banners of Nyte Blayde, as well as characters from the show and comic, such as the Cardinal and the Bloody Canoness.

Several innocent bystanders were present. They quickly ran towards the walls, with a clear perception of not knowing how to react when in the midst of gunfire. The doors were open. The bystanders quickly ran towards the doors while the Deckers and STAG continued to fight. Some even hid behind the front desk and pillars for cover.

A couple of Deckers saw Vince and Pierce. They drew their weapons and quickly opened fire. Vince and Pierce dove out of their sights, as Vince had reached behind him and drew his two .45 Shepherds and fired a shot to a Decker's chest with one pistol and to the man's head with the other pistol.

Pierce had gotten his TEK-Z10, which he had in his car. He figured it was needed. He quickly dropped one of the Deckers who stood by the front desk. Vince ducked behind the desk for cover, but through his left peripheral, he saw a Decker soldier pull something from his back and quickly jumped away.

He looked up and saw the Decker holding a katana. The Decker swung it right towards him.

"Pierce, hold them off, I got a problem of my own right now," Vince said.

"Man, how do I get across all this shit?" Pierce said.

If that wasn't bad enough, lasers were being fired from across the lobby. The Decker swung the sword a few times. Though this guy knew how to handle a sword, Vince knew that he wasn't up to par to the likes of a couple of past adversaries, like Jyunichi or Kazuo Akuji. Even some other members of the Ronin, another gang that the Saints had conquered in the past, had skills with swords, but not a lot of them were as good as the two high-ranking members.

"You're bringing a sword to a gunfight, are you serious?" Vince said.

The Decker quickly sheathed the sword and drew a pistol, but at that point, two shots went to his chest, as Vince took him down with ease. It was time to get to that computer before the Deckers do.

However, the lasers continued to fire. Some Deckers dropped, as did some STAG members at the hands of the Deckers, as well as Vince and Pierce.

"STAG sure has a lot of tech in here," Pierce said.

"This shit all looks the same to me," Vince said. "Where's the computer?"

"Shit, I don't know," Pierce said. "We better go look now."

More STAG soldiers came out. Some even had riot shields on them. Vince and Pierce stood behind a pillar, considering its width. Vince was on the left. Pierce was on the right, and he looked over the corner and saw the elevator door opening with more STAG members coming out.

Pierce quickly opened fire and tried to aim at the heads of the STAG soldiers. With their armor, it would take a lot of rounds to take someone down in their torso. But their helmets weren't bulletproof. Pierce leaned right to the top of his TEK and aimed right at the orange glass on a STAG member's helmet. He quickly pulled the trigger, letting out three shots, hitting the STAG soldier right in the face and saw that person drop.

Vince saw that he was right in between a STAG soldier and a Decker soldier. He was more visible to the Decker, as he let out a couple of shots, but missed as the Decker was behind the front desk. Vince looked over the corner and saw the STAG member. He was surrounded, so he noticed that the STAG soldier was closing in towards him and leaned right to the other side of the pillar.

He quickly turned to the front and let out one shot and it hit the Decker right in the dome as he quickly fell backwards and blood had hit the door. It was now time for the STAG soldier, who was a male as Vince saw through the helmet's glass. He quickly went forth and grabbed the soldier, as many of the soldiers opened fire towards him with their lasers. The lasers hit the soldier's armor, but it didn't take him down.

"Pierce, follow me," Vince said.

There were only three left. Vince fired a quick shot to the STAG soldier's head. Pierce had his TEK strapped to his back, but fired some lasers to the other two, in their heads, too. Vince quickly snapped the STAG member whom he had as shield.

"Good work, Pierce," Vince said.

"Always got your back, Boss," Pierce said.

 _"Don't leave any of those pathetic peons standing,"_ Matt Miller said through the speakers. It appeared that he hacked the PA system, but he wasn't the only one.

 _"Go home, Matt, and take your little Deckers with you,"_ Kinzie said through the speakers as well.

 _"Well someone's a sore loser, Agent Kensington,"_ Matt said.

 _"You haven't won yet,"_ Kinzie said. The two said their statements like if they were competing against one another at something.

 _"If you're referring to your two pawns, they're too late,"_ Matt said.

 _"We'll see about that,"_ Kinzie said.

 _"What's to see, except the epic failure that is the Saints?"_ Matt said.

 _"A bit overconfident?"_ Kinzie said.

 _"I am the one who got here first,"_ Matt said. _"I am the one leaving with the computer. I…"_

"Yak, yak, yak, get a job," Kinzie said.

Vince and Pierce looked around to see if there were anymore STAG soldiers and Deckers around. It turned out they were clear. He contacted Kinzie through the phone.

"Find anything, Kinzie?" Vince said.

 _"The Deckers are loading my computer in the garage,"_ Kinzie said. _"Get. Moving."_

"How do you know that?" Vince said.

 _"I hacked the security feed,"_ Kinzie said.

The lobby looked to be in bad shape, with all the bullet-holes on the walls, some even on the banners, as well as the pillars, and of course, the bodies and blood on the walls and floor. The area was cleared.

"Come on, Pierce, let's get to the garage," Vince said and the two headed to the elevator.

* * *

They got to the garage, where the gunfight had continued and a motor was heard leaving the area. Vince called Kinzie, who had it connected to Pierce's phone as well.

More Deckers and STAG soldiers had gotten into it. Several N-Forcers and cars were parked in the garage, but there was one thing that caught the attention of both Vince and Pierce.

"Kinzie, the truck's moving out and we have company here," Vince said.

 _"I called in reinforcements for you guys,"_ Kinzie said.

"Fuck reinforcements, we got a tank," Pierce said.

 _"Oh no, don't you dare! I don't want that thing **anywhere** near my computer!"_ Kinzie said.

"Okay, okay, we won't use the tank," Vince said as he and Pierce were running to avoid being seen by the Deckers and STAG.

"Really?" Pierce said in a way like he was a bit shocked to hear this.

"Fuck no, we're getting our tank on," Vince said.

The two finally got to the STAG tank. Vince climbed and got inside to drive it, while Pierce climbed and took control of the laser turret. It was time to get the computer.

The two got out of the garage and onto the street. Vince fired a missile at two STAG N-Forcers blocking the entrance/exit of the garage and BOOM! They exploded and Pierce fired the laser at any opposition

Kinzie contacted both Saints. _"Okay, following the truck on the street cams and... oh god! What the hell are you doing?!"_

"Going after the truck," Pierce said.

 _"I said **don't** use the tank!"_ Kinzie said.

"Relax, we won't use the cannon," Vince said.

Pierce started making fake static sounds. "Kinzie, you're breaking up."

 _"No, I'm not,"_ Kinzie said. _"You're just using your mouth to pretend like you are!"_

"What? What was that, Kinzie?" Vince said.

 _"Ugh! Use the machine gun then, **not** the cannon,"_ Kinzie said.

"You think she's mad?" Vince said.

The tank was a bit far from them, but the truck carrying didn't look to be driving at a fast speed. Even at its fastest, it wouldn't keep the computer steady and would likely fall off.

However, another call came to Vince's phone.

 _"Having fun yet?"_ Matt said.

"Oh, Jesus fucking Christ," Vince said in an annoyed tone.

 _"You and that slag Kensington ready to beg for mercy?"_ Matt said.

"Are you ready to shut the fuck up?" Vince said.

 _"Look at you puffing your chest like you're someone who's important,"_ Matt said. _"You better understand that you have no tactic I haven't planned for. You see, you'll never be as smart as me, but there's not one thing you can do that I can't."_

"Oh yeah?" Vince said. "Buy a pack of cigarettes."

 _"Ageist,"_ Matt said in a condescending tone.

At that point, the tank had gotten closer to the truck. Vince had told Pierce to fire the laser on the right tires, while Vince would do the honors on the left tires.

"Was awful nice of the Deckers to get this thing loaded up for us," Vince said.

"Speaking of which, how're we gonna move it after we blow out the tires?" Pierce said.

"Pierce, tank," Vince said.

"I suppose that'll work," Pierce said.

"I worry about you sometimes," Vince said.

But the two did their thing. Both Saints blew out the tires on their respective sides. It wasn't long until the truck went to a complete stop. The Decker who drove got out and saw the tank and quickly started running away.

"So what do we do now?" Pierce said.

"You let me worry about that," Vince said and reached for his phone to make a call to someone who can try to fix this up as soon as possible.

"Hey, Donnie, it's me, the Boss of the Saints," Vince said.

 _"What's up?"_ Donnie said.

"Listen, I may need you and some of your fellow mechanics to come and try to bring some spare tires on a semi out here in Loren Square," Vince said. "Do you think you can try to fix this up quickly?"

 _"I'll have some guys come,"_ Donnie said. _"Tell me where exactly you are and I'll call my guys."_

It had been about 10 to 15 minutes. Donnie arrived in his red Voxel, as well as a Criminal and Compensator came. Vince and Pierce looked up and saw the mechanics.

"Wow, Donnie, I didn't think you still had that car," Vince said.

"It still gets me around," Donnie said and looked at the truck. "Shit, it's nothing we can't handle."

He turned to his fellow mechanics. "All right, guys, let's do this."

It took about less than 10 minutes to replace the tires on the truck. All it needed was some spare tires. Good thing Donnie figured out what kind of tires they needed for this.

"Okay, that's all we needed, thanks," Vince said.

"Hold up," Donnie said. "You know, with this favor, maybe you can do something for me."

"Okay, what's that?" Vince said.

"I think I have a list of cars I would want you to steal for me," Donnie said. "I need to look at parts."

Vince and Pierce looked at each other. "I'll see what I can do."

"Okay, thanks," Donnie said and got into his Voxel, while the other mechanics took off in their trucks.

Vince looked at Pierce and said, "Let's bring this big ass computer back to Kinzie."

"You're the Boss," Pierce said as they both got in the truck.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kinzie sat outside a door to her warehouse on a staircase looking at her laptop. Suddenly, the sound of a horn honked. Kinzie looked up and saw the truck pull up with the learning computer on the flatbed. She grabbed the railing and slid under it to approach Vince and Pierce.

"Ah, man," Kinzie said.

"So you're set, right?" Vince said.

Kinzie looked closely at the computer to see if it had any damage to it. Luckily, there wasn't a single scratch on it, despite the struggle it was to get to it for Vince and Pierce.

"Almost, I need a chair," Kinzie said.

"I'll give you 50 bucks, pick out a nice one," Vince said.

"Funny, I'll explain it all once this thing is set up," Kinzie said. "Let me see what this baby can do first and then I'll tell you about the chair."

"Oh…kay," Vince said. "Anyway, we'll talk about this chair thing soon. I need to go relax."

"Yeah, me too," Pierce said. "Come on, Boss, let's go grab a drink at the Broken Shillelagh."

"I'm with you, Pierce," Vince said. "I could use a drink and maybe play some darts."

Meanwhile, Lucas and Cappie were around nearby. Though they checked out other areas of Salander, they noticed the big computer. Lucas got out his phone and started texting.

"Okay, that should let them know," Lucas said.

"Wonder what Boss will think about this," Cappie said.

"He doesn't know shit," Lucas said. "But I think I know what kind of chair Kinzie wants."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this one. If you're wondering about the names of Lucas and Cappie, well, here it goes. Lucas is a guy you can assassinate, so I thought that I should put him in this storyline with the Deckers. As for Cappie, well, that's a reference to the 1986 film called "Lucas," as he was the guy played by Charlie Sheen.
> 
> I also thought about bringing Donnie back into this story as he had only been seen earlier on. He might have more a presence later on.
> 
> Next up, as if the ending didn't give any clues, Vince and Kinzie search for a special chair. Stay tuned.


	32. Stop All the Downloading

It had been a day. Vince went to handle some other matters, like Kinzie wanting this one district attorney named Michael Lawrence who worked with the Deckers dead. Kinzie paid Vince to do the job.

For some odd reason, a Decker named 00ber1337 wanted Vince to take out a fellow Decker who went by Pr0tip. The reason? It was over some stupid conflict surrounding Pr0tip beating 00ber1337 at some game many times. He held off on that one and decided to maybe do it some other time, as the issue was just as trivial as this one contract on a DJ named Enigmus. He took her out, though. Usually when it came to contract killing, he usually saw the job through, but some of the time he questioned the reasons behind wanting that person dead. But that didn't mean he wasn't up for it. However, for some reason he wasn't sure if he wanted to go through with killing Pr0tip.

But at this moment, he wanted to see what Kinzie was up to doing with that computer that he and Pierce wound up taking from the Deckers, whom had also taken it from STAG. Then Kinzie mentioned something about a chair. It wasn't just any chair, however.

It was now evening. Vince went to the garage at Safeword. He decided to drive something else this time, even though he had been driving his Phoenix lately. This time, he decided to take his Criminal out for a spin. Before he started up the truck, he decided to call Kinzie. The phone rang and the call had been answered.

 _"Hey, Boss,"_ Kinzie said.

"How's the setup going, Kinzie?" Vince said.

 _"Hard for me to move this thing around,"_ Kinzie said.

"Why don't you ask…?" Vince said.

 _"Oleg is helping,"_ Kinzie said. _"It was hard for some guys to bring it in, so I left it on the truck overnight when they brought it inside my place. But Oleg helped carry it."_

"What do you need from me then?" Vince said.

 _"The next important piece of equipment,"_ Kinzie said.

"The chair, huh?" Vince said. "How about now?"

 _"Perfect!"_ Kinzie said. _"Look, just come over and I'll explain the plan."_

"I'll be there in a bit," Vince said.

Vince started up the truck. He was now headed out to Kinzie's hideout in Salander. If only he could grasp what she needed and what kind of chair it was.

He had it on Gen X, with "Careful" from Paramore playing. The song started to remind him of Shaundi, especially with how she used to be and how things were going with them lately. They hadn't talked much and even when he tried, Shaundi was short with him. He needed to clarify things, especially with how things could be explained. When the time comes, he won't deny that he slept with Luz, but at the same time, he should tell that they aren't an item, at least not yet.

Right after the song ended, a news report came on.

_"Like a high tech hot potato, one of the most powerful supercomputers in North America has been taken from STAG by the Deckers, who have now lost it to the Saints. Remarkably, it appears that the computer took no damage during these violent exchanges and the Saints are believed to have it secured in an undisclosed location. There is no official word regarding the Saints' plans for the computer, but rumors are beginning to swirl around an ambitious new spin on virtual reality porn. Stay tuned for further details. This is Jane Valderamma with your Steelport Mobile Computing News."_

* * *

The Criminal pulled up to the main overhead door of the warehouse. When the door opened, Oleg stood there as if he was there standing guard.

"Whoa, Oleg, it's me," Vince said.

"Oh, come on in, Kinzie's been expecting you," Oleg said. "We have had some problems today with some Deckers coming by. Someone must have tipped them off, found some surveillance equipment close by."

"Tell me about, those guys are pretty sneaky when it comes to surveillance," Vince said.

Both of them walked into the main area. Kinzie was looking at her new computer. There was no way to take that computer system upstairs. There wasn't a lot of room there for it.

"Boss, you're here," Kinzie said. "I had been trying to figure how to work this damn thing. Oleg was supposed to get me these pass-codes, but something is not working. I usually know what I'm doing."

"Okay, but I want to know how you want to take down the Deckers," Vince said.

Kinzie took a deep breath. She tried to explain what she wanted to do, but Vince couldn't quite understand. Even with geniuses like Kinzie and Oleg, getting a system up and running takes time. She continued to look at the computer. She knew that she would be able to work it, but also knew that there was another piece of equipment that was necessary for this. Even then, there were some other loose ends of the Deckers that needed to be dealt with.

Kinzie took another deep breath. "I'll explain it again, really slowly." She turned around to face Vince and Oleg. "I want to broadcast your subconscious into the Decker use-net."

As she continued to look at the computer and its various controls, she said, "Then you'll be able to interact with the avatars of users and corrupt the abstract representations of data that are the cornerstone of their online operation."

Vince sat there with not even a shred of an idea on what she was saying, while Oleg had this expression of figuring out what Kinzie was talking about.

Kinzie said, "To do that, I'd need…"

"A NEMO chair, of course," Oleg said.

"A what chair?" Vince said, as if he couldn't already understand a lot of the techno-babble that he was hearing.

"NEMO — Neurological Electromagnetic Oneiroscope," Oleg said. "The KGB destroyed the only one is existence."

As soon as Kinzie was done with setting up some of the controls, she said, "The Deckers have one."

"Impossible, how could they mask the signal?" Oleg said.

"They're keeping it here," Kinzie said, standing next to a monitor on the system that displayed a schematic of the Burns Hill Reactors.

"Clever," Oleg said with so much intrigue in his voice.

Vince got up. It was clear he wanted to get to the bottom of this.

"Okay, nerd time is over!" Vince said. "What is this thing, and Kinzie, for fuck's sake, keep it simple!"

Kinzie sighed. "I need the chair to stop the Deckers."

"Thank you," Vince said.

"I'm going with you," Kinzie said.

"What? Why?" Vince said.

"Because I have a clear understanding on what to do," Kinzie said.

"Whatever you say," Vince said.

* * *

The two got out of the warehouse and went straight for the Criminal that was parked outside. Once inside, Vince started it up and set his GPS to Burns Hill Reactors, the abandoned nuclear power plant that still had power going.

"Once we get to the nuclear plant, I'll need to cut the external power uplinks to the main building," Kinzie said.

"Why don't we just run in and take the chair?" Vince said.

"Well we could, if you want all its circuitry to fry as we try to disconnect it from the power grid," Kinzie said.

"Guess that would be a bad thing?" Vince asked.

"Yeah," Kinzie said.

Dead silence filled the air for a few seconds, until…

"So if you're hooking me up to this thing, it's going to be comfortable, right?" Vince asked.

"How should I know? It's a chair," Kinzie said.

"Yeah, but are we talking padded leather that reclines or some wicker bullshit?" Vince asked.

Kinzie scoffed. "That's what you're worried about, if your ass is going to be comfy?"

"These details are important," Vince said.

Once again the car was filled with dead silence, but Vince had other ideas.

"How about some music?" Vince said.

"No thanks," Kinzie said.

"Come on, some techno or dubstep?" Vince said. "That's all over the internet, right? I could put it on K12."

"Not interested," Kinzie said.

"You don't like easy-listening shit, do you?" Vince said. "Because I remember some station in Stilwater called Ezzzy, which changed to The World, and that was some unbearable shit."

"God no," Kinzie said.

"Then what, 80s rock, death metal?" Vince said, though when he said "death metal," he said in a sing-song voice.

"Hardcore gangsta rap," Kinzie said.

Vince looked at her with a look of confusion and paused for a quick moment. "Seriously? Well in that case…"

Vince turned on the radio and put it on K-Rhyme FM. It was a flashback night, as DJ Kish announced that the next song would be "Roc the Mic" from Beanie Sigel and Freeway.

The two Saints were getting closer to the power plant. It was now time to get this chair for Kinzie's plan. They crossed the intersection from the hill going up to the plant.

"Alright, I sent you the power uplink locations," Kinzie said. "Keep the Deckers off me while I disable each one."

Vince nodded his head when he heard her say that.

On the GPS, the screen read that the first location was on their right. Vince saw a gate and quickly turned and drove right into the grounds through the gate. Up ahead, a building was seen with an electrical box on the side.

"This looks like it," Kinzie said. "Buy me the time to shut down this power node."

"You got it," Vince said.

This area was a bit dark. The light only glared to the building and some of the grass in that yard. But Kinzie and Vince saw the box as Kinzie went right for it and quickly started to work her magic.

Through the darkness, however, Vince saw a neon blue glow. It didn't take much to figure out what or who that was coming from. Another glow was seen. It was dark, but the line shone on Kinzie, who was easily seen. Vince quickly drew his Kobra pistol. He saw that the two Deckers had drawn their machine guns. No way was he going to let his comrade get gunned down, so through the darkness, Vince drew two Kobras and the flashlights had drawn the attentions of both Deckers. The Kobras even had suppressors on the barrels.

"Hello, boys," Vince said and pulled the triggers, aiming right for their domes. Both Deckers dropped, but soon after, a blue and black Solar barged into the area, with a neon blue light glaring at the bottom of the car.

Vince saw that there were four Deckers inside the car. He and Kinzie were the only Saints there. Vince looked down and saw the TEK-Z10s lying next to the bodies of the fallen Deckers. He picked up both submachine guns. The car went to a stop and parked. Vince immediately sprayed rounds to the windshield of the Solar, as blood had splattered onto the glass on both the driver's side and the passenger's side.

Nobody got out. Vince took a closer look and saw that even the Deckers in the backseat were shot as well. It seemed that the bullets either went through or managed to hit the ones in the back. Vince got out a grenade he had in the pocket of his jacket and threw it. BOOM! The car blew up.

"Mind keeping it down out there?" Kinzie said.

Vince turned to Kinzie. "Wh-? You're kidding, right?"

"Sort of," Kinzie said.

At some point, the hacking stopped. "That's one, two more to go," Kinzie said.

Both Saints entered the Criminal. The GPS led to another that was close by. In fact, it was right across the yard of the plant's grounds.

"Here they come!" Kinzie yelled. The other electrical box was in an area with truck trailers and large crates. Vince quickly fired a few shots and hit the gas to get to the box quicker. He stopped and quickly put it in park.

Kinzie went out to do her thing. The Criminal was parked in front of her to shield her from any gunfire from the Deckers. Vince also covered himself behind the truck. Many of the Deckers were walking in formation to approach the Saints. Vince knew that he and Kinzie were outnumbered. He popped up to fire a few shots from the two SMGs that he picked up. He managed to drop a couple, but a few other ones had ducked to get out of range of gunfire.

"How's it going in there?" Vince said.

"These things take time," Kinzie said.

"Uh, you should just let me shoot it instead," Vince said.

"Very funny," Kinzie said.

Vince popped up and looked around. One Decker saw him, ready to fire, but was met with an electric grenade that Vince also had. The electrical current started to affect any Deckers that were close to it. They were knocked out from it.

"Two down, last one and we're in business," Kinzie said.

"Let's go," Vince said.

The two once again hopped into the Criminal. There was one last uplink that Kinzie needed to hack.

As soon as she went up to the box to hack, many Solars and Kayaks started rolling.

"Fuck me," Vince said and looked to Kinzie. "Faster would be better."

Vince ran right to the backseat of the Criminal and picked up K-8 Krukov with a grenade launcher. He had an M2 grenade launcher as well, but the assault rifle would be of much better use. There was just no way that he would be able to singlehandedly take all of these people down. He knew that the Deckers were both men and women, and it seemed like Miller had hired some people with experience, even though he had suspected that some members were young. That guy Pr0tip seemed young to him and didn't know what to think about offing him, even if it was just for a job.

Nonetheless, he aimed the rifle at the Deckers' cars and fired a grenade in between a couple of cars that were about to park. KA-BOOM! A Solar and a Kayak were sent flying. The blast also caught the other two cars that were behind them. Vince looked around to make sure that no other cars were about to come in.

"Alright, that's it," Kinzie said. They both got in the Criminal and Vince started it up to get going.

"Now can we go in and get this chair?" Vince said.

"Nope, now we go up in a helicopter," Kinzie said.

"A helicopter?" Vince said.

"They could be keeping the chair anywhere," Kinzie said. "I have to triangulate its exact location first, while you…"

"….have to protect your ass. Got it," Vince said.

"See, we're communicating," Kinzie said.

"Where's it landing?" Vince asked.

"In front of the plant," Kinzie said.

The two Saints rolled right out of the plant's yard. The GPS said that the landing site was close to the trees that were in front of the plant. Kinzie looked behind her. More Deckers were right behind them. What also caught her attention was that a Kayak was rolling close to them with a couple of girls on inline skates hanging onto the back of that car. She knew exactly who they were and who they tried to emulate.

"Boss, you may want to give me a gun," Kinzie said.

"Can you handle one?" Vince said.

"Not that well, but I'll try," Kinzie said.

"Here," Vince said and handed her a spare Kobra pistol that he had in the truck. "Be careful with it."

Some of the Deckers' mercenaries were quick to open fire. Even one of their specialists came skating towards them, as the blue light around that surrounded her flashed around them. Kinzie took a took breath and right as the specialist was about to open fire, Kinzie laid four shots right into the girl's chest. She tumbled back from the skates that she wore.

Vince looked around and saw that the other Deckers weren't down but the Oppressor helicopter was closing in. He saw that the specialist had dropped a shock hammer, similar to what he used before. He went forth and picked it up and ran right for the Deckers. Before they could aim their guns at the two Saints, Vince jumped up and spun around like before and smashed the hammer right to the pavement and grass as they were right by the road and a shockwave exploded. The Deckers got off their feet. Whether they were dead or not was not important, as the chopper was now landing and they ran right for it.

The helicopter ascended into the air. Vince and Kinzie were now over the plant.

Kinzie said, "Alright, we'll have to fly around the area for this to work."

"Just do whatever it is you do and I'll take care of the rest," Vince said.

"It's simple, I measure the…," Kinzie said.

"Not asking for lesson here," Vince said, cutting her off.

"Right, forgot," Kinzie said.

The pilot flew around the plant area, while Kinzie used her phone to try to find a signal on where to find the NEMO chair. Vince looked down to see if there were any more Deckers crawling around. But they were high off the ground. None of that mattered now.

"Find anything yet, Kinzie?" Vince asked.

"There's a lot of power output coming from that place, so it's hard to get a lock on the chair," Kinzie said.

"No shit, it's a power plant," Vince said.

"I need more time," Kinzie said.

The chopper continued to fly around to fly around the area. Once it flew close to a cooling tower, Kinzie saw something on her screen.

"Got it!" Kinzie said. "It's right under the main cooling tower. Logical, really."

"Alright, let's go get…," Vince said.

"Just you, and you'll have to take the quick way," Kinzie said. "The Deckers may already be destroying the chair to keep it from us."

"Quick way?" Vince said.

"Yeah, jump," Kinzie said.

The chopper was already adjacent to the cooling tower. Vince looked behind him and saw a parachute pack. He grabbed it and put it on. The helicopter was now hovering over the cooling tower. Vince looked below and leaped to head down.

It wasn't a big drop as he saw some lights below him. So he quickly pulled the cord to let out the parachute and moved his body a bit to get a clear landing.

Once he got to ground level, he said, "I'm in, Kinzie."

 _"Cut the chair from their system by disabling the router connections,"_ Kinzie said.

"So press the off button on the consoles?" Vince said.

 _"That's what I said, wasn't it?"_ Kinzie said.

Vince looked around and found a staircase that went down. That had to be where he needed to go. He ran to it and headed downward. As he ran alongside some large pipes and chain-link fences, he noticed some Deckers down there. Good thing he had his rifle with him.

The two Deckers looked up and were ready to shoot. Vince wasted no time and gunned them down before the Deckers even tried to open fire. He down to the floor and saw a doorway headed into what may be the main area.

He walked into the area. The doorway ended with staircases right there, as soon as he passed them, the area was rather intriguing to him. It was an open area with large screens displaying the map of Steelport, a meter that is measuring something, among other screens. The main floor had a red light glowing under the clear glass floor. At the center was a big purple chair with some large electrical beams flashing on it. That had to be the chair Kinzie wanted.

"What the hell is Miller doing in here, planning the next world war?" Vince said.

 _"It's what I'd do,"_ Kinzie said.

"Whoa," Vince said.

Much to Vince's surprise, there were only seven Deckers in there. Six were guys and one was a girl. But that wasn't the only shocking part. He noticed that these guys were young, much younger than he would even consider even trying to kill. Vince knew that he was a killer, but even he had his own standards to follow.

The Deckers all walked toward him with guns in hand, trembling at the sight of this man. Vince even suspected that these people probably didn't have much experience with firearms, let alone killing other people.

"Look, you people, I know that there are some problems between us, but I can tell you don't really want to do this," Vince said. "So why don't you just let me do my thing and you guys can go off freely? That's it."

A young man with a hood over is head and eye-shadow brandished a pistol. His arm shook as he tried to aim his gun at Vince.

"Come on, you don't have to do this," Vince said in a polite manner. "Just stick to what you guys do best. Leave the killing to the professionals."

Without a word, the other Deckers just ran out of the area. Vince turned around and watched as they left. Now he could handle the rest.

 _"What was that about?"_ Kinzie said.

"Just my way of showing that a killer has his limits," Vince said. "Anyway, I see the routers."

There were many computer systems scattered around on some platforms. Some even had the STAG insignia on them, as well as the Ultor logo. It seemed like the Deckers stole some of the technology from both organizations.

Vince ran right to one and shut it off. He ran to another and disabled it as well. There were only two left and did the same thing.

"Router…things are shut down, Kinzie," Vince said.

 _"The chair's still pulling power from the system, I don't get it,"_ Kinzie said.

"Well, it's still plugged in," Vince said.

"Oh, cut that link, too," Kinzie said.

Vince saw the platform at the center with the chair. Right in front of the chair was a computer system, like a mainframe, similar to the one that he and Pierce took for Kinzie. The only difference was that this one had the Deckers insignia on it. He went right for it and started working the controls.

 _This is more Kinzie's thing, not mine._ Vince thought. _But nothing I couldn't handle._

Once he disabled the router, all of the systems from the plant had been shut down.

"Kinzie, everything is shut down now," Vince said.

 _"Perfect, now we just need to get the chair,"_ Kinzie said.

"Yeah, about that, how are we getting it out of here?" Vince said.

 _"What do you mean?"_ Kinzie said.

"This is one big fucking chair," Vince said.

 _"I'll call Oleg and some people to help get it out,"_ Kinzie said.

"Make it fast," Vince said as he looked at the chair and its size.

* * *

It had been an hour. The same flatbed truck that was used to deliver the supercomputer the previous night had pulled up to the warehouse. Pierce drove the truck with some other Saints driving in front and back of him, such as Aimee, Saint Rocco, Dave, Lucy, Precious, as well as Lucas and Cappie. Finally, the purple Criminal pulled up with Vince and Kinzie.

Oleg got out of the warehouse and saw the chair on the truck.

"Impressive, my friends," Oleg said. "I thought that there was no other chair like this in existence."

Everyone was all out of their cars and stood right by the flatbed.

"Well, we got it," Vince said. "Now we just need to take down the Deckers."

"Not yet," Kinzie said.

"What?" Vince said.

"What's going on?" Pierce said. "Don't you know what you're doing, girl?"

"It's not that easy, if it was easy, you guys would be doing this already," Kinzie said. "I know we need to set up the system first, but we don't know how reliable this thing will be. I need to see if the Deckers had tampered with it before we got it and then I will need some test subjects to see if this will work."

"So in other words, you need some guinea pigs to experiment with," Vince said.

"Well, yeah," Kinzie said. "I need a little time before I have you go in the Deckers' use-net. I will let you know when it's ready."

"Fo sho," Pierce said.

"Alright, we'll go handle some other shit for now," Vince said.

In the back, Lucas and Cappie got out their phones once again and started texting. What was their deal?

* * *

**3 COUNT CASINO**

Matt stood in the room with Phillipe and Killbane, both of whom watched as Matt talked on his phone.

"Raymond, you let them get away with the chair, why did you all destroy it before that peon got there," Matt said. "You, Homer, Steven, Chester, Archie, Jack, and Lyric all had one job to do. I understand, I will figure out another plan. Talk to you soon. Cheers."

Matt looked up and saw Phillipe and Killbane looking at him.

"Is something wrong, Matty?" Killbane said.

"Just some problems that I have to deal with, but it's nothing I can't handle," Matt said. "I will handle the Saints. We all will."

"I like your optimism, Matt," Phillipe said. "But we also know that we have the problem with STAG. Some of your people were killed last night. Though I will give it to some of your people for even taking of them down, but now it seems that STAG is a problem for all of us, along with the Saints."

Killbane added, "If you want, Matt, I can have some of my people take the fight to STAG while you try to work your skills on the Saints some more. There has to be another way to go after them. You have your skills to take them down. Those two Saints only got lucky when you crashed their helicopter."

"I can call some of my contacts in Belgium to send some more Morningstar members from over there and also Eastern Europe to handle the Saints and STAG," Phillipe said. "I know that the Morningstar has been weakened here in Steelport, but there's always room to rebuild our empire."

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! A knock was heard at the door.

"I'll get it," Matt said and opened the door. In front of him were two women who were dressed like the specialists of the Deckers, except they looked like they were there to discuss something with Matt.

"Kirsten, Grace, what a lovely surprise," Matt said.

"The Saints hit our place in Burns Hill, Matt," Grace said. "They took the chair."

"Our undercover agents in the Saints filled us in," Kirsten said.

"Yes, I heard about that," Matt said. "Gentlemen, if you'll excuse us."

Killbane and Phillipe got up and walked towards the door with Grace and Kirsten giving room to the other two Syndicate bosses.

"That's what we wanted to tell you," Kirsten said. :I know you have your ways with technology. But right now, I have set up some surveillance in different areas in Stanfield. If you want, Grace and I will take down some of the Saints the only way we can."

"You know I don't like engaging in violence, so anything involving violence and leading the Deckers to combat I leave to you two ladies," Matt said.

Grace added, "Well, some of our other soldiers were killed by STAG today. You know we have a problem with them as well."

"Yes, I do know about that," Matt said.

"Which is why I want to tell you this," Grace said. "Kirsten set up some surveillance at the PR center, the same place some of our people went yesterday to take that computer. I had heard that they are going to shoot another bloody commercial with that Birk fellow. I was thinking that we can do something to hurt STAG as well."

"You're not planning on hurting him, are you?" Matt said.

"No, Matt," Kirsten said. "But I want to lead STAG to come to us and we'll take down some of those people. You can hack their systems and try to make a ransom. I assure you, we won't hurt Josh Birk. What a handsome fellow he is."

"Hmmmm, as long as you don't hurt him, this should be a plan," Matt said. "Anyway, I got to figure out what to do about the Saints and then I will help with the STAG problem."

All three Deckers nodded their heads in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it for this one. I hope you enjoyed it. Just letting you know, I'm not getting to Deckers Die just yet. I am thinking about doing at least a couple more chapters related to the Deckers soon. Story-wise, like you all saw, I'm having Kinzie trying to see how this whole experiment will work. I also implied that I am doing a different twist on another upcoming mission. You'll see what I will do for that.
> 
> As for the part about the Deckers in the main control room, it had been said that some Deckers are teenagers. I had noted in a past chapter that I am not comfortable with the idea of shootouts involving people who are still actually kids. It was also to show that even though Vince (the Boss) is a killer, even he has his own standards.
> 
> Next up, like I stated before, the Saints try to go and snatch a well-known actor, but some others want to take him, too. Stay tuned.


	33. A Little Explanation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my readers. I'm back with this. This will be an interlude which will help set up the next chapter. First thing I want to say is that I took a break from this for about a week, mainly because during September, I had done 11 chapters and was a bit burned out. Yes, ELEVEN chapters, so I needed to take a breather for at least a week.
> 
> I didn't lose my heart for this, however. I will continue to do this. This will be an interlude which will help set up the next chapter. Enjoy!

It had been three days since getting the NEMO chair for Kinzie. Vince and the rest of his fellow Saints, whether it was Johnny and/or Pierce, or even some lower in the ranks like Aimee, Saint Rocco, or Cheapy D, he had scoped around Sunset Park and other parts of Downtown Steelport. The stuff with STAG had cooled down, but things were not over with them, nor were the issues with the Deckers.

Kinzie had made it clear to Vince that she needed some time to try to get the system to work. She said something about connecting the NEMO chair to the supercomputer, but even she admitted that it was easier said than done. She even told him that she would call when it's ready.

Vince still hadn't talked to Shaundi. It was time to sort stuff out with her. He knew that they weren't in a relationship, but whenever he tried to text her, there were times when she didn't reply or was just short in the responses. It was time to set the record straight, but it was hard when there were other issues going on around him.

He rolled around Downtown in his purple Bootlegger. He had to make sure that things were okay in Downtown. He felt that things had sort of cooled down with STAG ever since he took the fight to them when he hijacked one of their fighter jets. He parked the muscle car into the garage and took the elevator up and went inside. Aside from stuff that Pierce and the others took out of there, things looked almost the same as they left it.

He got out his phone and sat on the couch in the living area closest to the window.

 _"Sup, Boss, what's crackin'?"_ Pierce said.

"Pierce, what's going on right now?" Vince said.

 _"Not much, just chillin', doing some training and shit,"_ Pierce said. _"Also tryin' to promote our shit and trying to find more info on STAG and the Syndicate."_

"Gotcha," Vince said. "Listen, you said something about STAG. I think that with shit having cooled down, I think it's safe for everyone to come back to the penthouse."

 _"Shit, I thought you'd never say that,"_ Pierce said. _"Angel's been showin' me and Johnny some crazy-ass moves. There were even times that I even bailed out to stay at a nearby hotel. Sure, it was a shithole, but it's better than staying at Angel's place under his crazy-ass rules. Even Johnny wonders if that guy is crazy, and we both know Johnny is one crazy motherfucker."_

"We've come a long way since fixing up the hideout in Stilwater," Vince said. "There's one thing I want to know, have you talked to Shaundi lately?"

 _"I talked to her a bit, but when I talked to her, she seemed a bit down,"_ Pierce said. _"There were times when she would be calm, but she hadn't been in that great of a mood. She didn't tell me why, though."_

"I see," Vince said. "Hey, maybe you guys can get your shit back to the penthouse."

 _"I'll talk to everyone about it, I'll hit ya later,"_ Pierce said.

There were others he needed to talk to, but only two who he had in mind to talk to at that moment. He decided to make another call.

 _"Hey, Boss or Vince, what's up?"_ Johnny said. _"I was hoping that you weren't dead. You haven't been around much lately."_

"Johnny, hey, have you talked to Shaundi lately?" Vince said.

 _"A little bit,"_ Johnny said. _"When I tried to hit her up, she didn't say much. She's been this way for about a week. Why?"_

"Don't worry about it, it's something that she's going through," Vince said.

 _"Vince, I know you too well, I know you're hiding something,"_ Johnny said. _"You like her, don't you?"_

"Why you say that?" Vince said.

 _"Oh, come on, Boss, I know you care about your friends and all, but I think I had an idea about this even way back when,"_ Johnny said. _"I had an idea for a long time, but was never sure. Shit, I even remember when something was going on with Lin back in the day, but I saw that you were down about her death."_

"Well, I wasn't sure about it even back then," Vince said. "I try not to get too involved when it comes to women. I even have my own regrets when it comes to that."

 _"I know what you mean,"_ Johnny said. _"I know that I still think about Aisha to this day. She'll always be my true love, but sometimes I wonder how different things would be if we didn't get too deep in our shit."_

"I hear that," Vince said. "I'm going to give her a call and talk with her. Anyway, you guys should bring the stuff back to the penthouse and then we'll figure out what we can do about STAG."

 _"Right, gotcha, I'll call you later,"_ Johnny said. _"Then we'll be ready get the drop on those motherfuckers."_

"We all will, talk to you later," Vince said.

After the call ended, there was one person left to call. He came across the one contact that he didn't just want to call, but needed to call. The call was made, the phone rang, and surprisingly, the call went through after three rings.

 _"What do you want?"_ Shaundi said.

"…To talk to you," Vince said.

 _"I got nothing to say to you,"_ Shaundi said.

"Can you at least just hear me out?" Vince said.

 _"What is there to tell? I saw that there was something going on with that one woman,"_ Shaundi said.

"Listen, just let me explain," Vince said. "Where are you? I think we should talk about this in person."

For a few seconds, silence went through the phone, until…

 _"I'm at Derek's place,"_ Shaundi said. _"If you really need to tell me something, I'll be here."_

"I'll be by in a bit," Vince said.

The call ended. Vince headed for the elevator and went down to the garage and got in his Bootlegger. He was in Sunset Park. Shaundi was in Brickston. He put it on K12, with "Days Go By" from Dirty Vegas playing on the radio. He had a feeling of déjà vu coming on, as this wasn't the first time that he had to do this. He would call to meet her at Smiling Jack's, but this conversation would be better if it were in a private setting.

* * *

He made his arrival. He parked the Bootlegger in front of the apartment building. Without hesitation, as soon he parked it, he exited and went straight for the front door to head up the stairs. He had keys to the apartment and opened the door.

The door opened. He saw a guy with long hair and a beard sitting on the touch taking a hit from a bong. The guy looked to his right and jumped at the sight of Vince standing there.

"Relax, Derek, it's only me," Vince said. "Is Shaundi here?"

"Oh, yeah, she's in the bedroom, she hasn't come out," Derek said. "I even tried to offer her to take a hit to help ease up but she turned it down."

"You two didn't…you know?" Vince said.

"Nah, shit ain't like that with us anymore," Derek said. "I only offered her weed and that's it."

"Got it," Vince said and turned to his right to get to the bedroom door and knocked on it.

"Who is it?" a female said.

"Shaundi, it's me, I came by to talk, remember?" Vince said.

Much to his surprise, the door opened. Shaundi stood there dressed casually, wearing a purple Stilwater Sharks shirt, similar to the T-shirt she had, except this was more like a crop tee as her midriff was shown. She was wearing purple sweatpants, too. Shaundi looked at him with a mildly cold expression.

"May I come in?" Vince said.

Shaundi sighed and moved to her right and gave him the signal to come in by reaching her hand out. She quickly sat on the bed, while Vince sat right beside her.

"Shaundi, I'm just going to get straight to the point," Vince said. "What is wrong?"

Shaundi looked directly at Vince in the eye. It had been more than a week since they talked.

"Tell me something, when we were at Zimos's place, when we had sex, did it mean anything to you?" Shaundi said.

"What are you talking about?" Vince said.

"I mean did you treat me like I was a normal slut or did you feel that there was something there?" Shaundi said. "Because when I saw you talking to that Luz bitch, I started to think that something happened between you two."

Vince looked directly at her in the eye with silence. "If I tell you what happened, you need to listen to me. Don't start jumping to conclusions or cut me off. I need you to hear me out and hear me good."

Vince paused and then said, "If you're wondering about Luz, okay, we fucked. But it wasn't really much of anything. If you're wondering about when _we_ fucked, I didn't think of you as a cheap whore or anything like that."

"So I was right, you did fuck that bitch," Shaundi said with her voice cracking a bit. "Was she better than me?"

"Why are you asking me this?" Vince said. "Look, I get you're jealous, but you need to know one thing – we are not together. I didn't cheat on you. Like I said, yes, I had sex with Luz, but it was purely lust. It was nothing."

A tear ran down one of Shaundi's eyes and looked at Vince in the eye again.

"I want you to know something," Shaundi said. "When we were fucking, it felt different than all of the other times I had sex, even with a lot of the other guys. It felt like we made love than just had sex. It meant something, at least to me."

Vince had an expression of "oh" on his face. He figured that she was jealous about Luz, but even she had to realize that they weren't an item.

"I understand how you feel and _why_ you feel this way," Vince said. "Just try not to be so jealous of Luz, or even any of the other women in the crew. If, or when we give this a try between us, I promise that I won't cheat on you or anything like that. I know that you have been around the block. I have had my share of affairs myself. Just know that it's not the right time for both of us."

"Okay, tell me this, did you have Viola or Kiki, or even Kinzie?" Shaundi asked.

"What? No, no, I didn't," Vince said. "Don't tell me you're jealous of them as well."

"Well, Pierce had told me that you had done stuff for Kinzie recently," Shaundi said.

"It's not like that at all," Vince said. "I'm helping her with bringing down the Deckers."

 _Though she does seem like a freak with all the shit she has._ Vince thought.

"I will say this, that was a dick move I made when I dropped you in the sky," Vince said. "But I did come back for you and we made it to the ground. Like I said – I would never let my girl fall."

A tingly feeling flowed through Shaundi's veins when she heard him say "my girl." Did he mean it as a general term, or did he mean that she was "his girl"?

"Okay, you're right," Shaundi said. "While I don't like that you did what you did, you are right that we are not together. We are not ready for this right now, but I shouldn't be so jealous. You did say that I should be calmer than I had been lately."

"Exactly, you don't have to smoke some weed or Loa Dust out of a fucking light bulb like you used to, but you could try to be calm and cool like you were when we first met," Vince said. "Anyway, we should go back to the penthouse."

"Wait, what?" Shaundi said.

"All that shit with STAG had cooled down a bit," Vince said. "We'll figure what we should do about them soon. Go get your stuff."

"On it," Shaundi said.

The two got up. Shaundi went to get some stuff that she had there that she brought from the penthouse. She left some other stuff behind over there. It wasn't like they completely moved out of there. They were just lying low in various parts of Steelport.

They left the apartment building. Shaundi immediately went into the passenger side of the Bootlegger.

"You don't want to take your car back to the place?" Vince said.

"I'll get it later," Shaundi said. "It's not going anywhere."

"Or maybe we'll get one of our people to bring it to the penthouse," Vince said. "Anyway, let's get going. We'll decide on what we should do about STAG."

Vince started up the muscle car and they were off.

Meanwhile, being that they were in an area that the Deckers still had some influence, a couple of woman in cyber-goth gear with blue, black, and pink patterns on their jackets, shirts, and skirts rolled up on their skates. They were none other than Grace and Kirsten. They watched as they rolled off.

"So should we go after them?" Grace said.

Kirsten shook her head. "We'll get them soon enough. Just wait. You know we have our way to get them."

Grace nodded her head. The two Deckers quickly turned around and skated away.

* * *

Later on, Pierce drove his Infuego with Cheapy D riding shotgun, as well as Lucy and Precious riding in the back. They drove in front of a truck, with a purple Venom driving behind the Infuego. Johnny was driving the Venom.

As Pierce drove, he put the radio on K-Rhyme FM. Rather than a song playing, instead it was a commercial. But this commercial grabbed his attention, as it was a STAG public service announcement with Josh Birk narrating. He also remembered the banners at the STAG PR center when he and Vince went to get that supercomputer that one night.

Suddenly, an idea rose to his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was it for this one. I know I have done interludes and I also have a habit of doing interludes before a mission-based chapter. This was no exception.
> 
> I had also thought of an idea for the Cypher subplot. I hadn't forgotten about that one. The Deckers storyline isn't over yet, either. Like I said before, I'm doing more with that one.
> 
> Stay tuned for the next one. Peace out.


	34. Nyte Blayde's Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I had a really hard time coming up with a good setup for this one, especially with both DeWynter twins being alive in my version. But I came up with something to do. Enjoy!

It had been a day since everyone had returned to the penthouse. Vince was ready to bring down the Deckers, but he still hadn't received any sort indication from Kinzie about her virtual reality system being ready yet. So in the meantime, maybe it would be good to put the hurt on STAG.

Vince got ready for the day. He put on a gray jacket with a plain purple T-shirt and gray pants. He almost looked like Don Johnson from the 1980s TV show, "Miami Vice."

Just then, a sound occurred. It came from his phone. Vince picked it up and saw that he got a new text message from Pierce.

_Hey, Boss. I got an idea on how to hit STAG. Hit me up. I'll tell you all about it._

Vince picked up the phone and called Pierce.

 _"Hey, Boss, what's up?"_ Pierce said.

"Pierce, you worked out a way to hurt STAG yet?" Vince said.

 _"Yeah, Viola's on her way to meet me now,"_ Pierce said.

"Viola? What does she need to do?" Vince said.

 _"We need her, uh…talents,"_ Pierce said.

"What are you planning?" Vince said.

 _"Just swing by, I'll fill you in,"_ Pierce said. _"I'm over at Steelport News right now."_

"I'll be there in a bit," Vince said.

Vince headed for the elevator and went down to the garage. He took the Bootlegger. Though he loved his Phoenix, he had been driving his Bootlegger more lately. If anything, the only other muscle car to add to his collection would be the Hammerhead. Aside from that, it was time to meet up with Pierce. Why was he at Steelport News? What could have there to show him? And what "talents" did he speak of when he mentioned Viola?

* * *

Vince pulled up in front of the place. Through his rearview mirror, he saw a Temptress pull up behind him. It had a purple and black pattern. He got out. The Temptress parked and both doors from that car opened. It turned out to be Viola _and_ Kiki.

Kiki had purple sunglasses but was wearing a suit-like outfit with a black jacket and slacks, as well as a purple shirt. Viola had the same white sunglasses as before. Her outfit was similar with the turtleneck and leather skirt, except they were dark purple instead of black and the chain around her waist had a fleur de lis pendant at the end of it.

"Hello, ladies," Vince said.

"Hello," Kiki said.

"Where's Pierce?" Viola said.

"He must be inside, come on," Vince said.

The three walked in and saw Pierce standing by a rack with comic books that was across from a Joe Cola fountain machine. He looked like he was reading a comic book. This place looked like a convenient store, yet it carried comic books and newspapers, like any other convenient store would.

Suddenly, Pierce looked up.

"Hey, you called?" Viola said.

Pierce saw them, as well as an extra guest to the party.

"Yeah, I got an idea for y'all," Pierce said. "And why is your sister here? I only asked for you to come."

"I go almost everywhere with her, thank you," Kiki said as she cut in.

"Almost? You couldn't make an exception?" Pierce said.

"Well, I wasn't sure what you wanted only me for, so I asked Kiki to come along," Viola said. "Is that a problem?"

"Enough," Vince said. "Pierce, what do you got?"

Pierce handed Vince the comic book he was reading. It was that of Nyte Blayde.

"STAG is using Nyte Blayde as their mascot," Pierce said. "We snatch the punk…"

"…And we draw out STAG," Vince said.

"Set it up right, we'll get the drop on those motherfuckers," Pierce said.

Out of nowhere, the quartet was approached by a bespectacled young man, possibly a teenager. He was seen holding a pen and a comic book in hand. He had a nerdy aura about him, too. He had on a purple jacket and a dark T-shirt with jeans.

"Um, um, excuse me," the nerd said. "My name is Jimmy Torbitson. I am a big fan of you guys. Could you, could you sign this for me, please?"

"Sure thing, Jimmy," Vince said as Jimmy handed the Saints leader the comic book and pen.

Vince looked at the cover. "The fuck is this?"

The title read "Gangstas in Space." The artwork depicted Johnny dressed in a purple spacesuit and holding a gun from that movie, "Aliens."

Pierce said, "Dude, it's Johnny's comic. He sold his likeness to Ultor, they're making a movie out of this shit."

"Remind me to call Legal Lee about this," Vince said as he was autographing Jimmy's comic book. "I may need to talk to Johnny about this to see if he knows about the movie."

Vince handed Jimmy the comic and the pen, to which the boy said "thank you" and quickly sped off and yelled "YES!" with so much glee in his voice.

"So how do we find Birk?" Vince said. "The chump could be anywhere."

"Look, we lay the right bait and he'll come to us," Pierce said. "That's why I need you and one of the new girls."

"Hold up, we have names, you know," Viola said.

"What is you want one of us to do?" Kiki said.

"Look and you'll see…," Pierce said as he looked toward Viola and showed her a picture on a page of a nun dressed in a rather skimpy outfit. "…Bloody Canoness."

Viola's eyes widened as she saw that image. "You can't be serious!"

Vince looked at the same picture. "Works for me."

"I'm not going out there dressed like that," Viola said.

"You guys need some disguises," Pierce said. "Me and some of the crew went to Let's Pretend to pick up the outfits."

Pierce turned his attention to Viola. "If you don't want to do it, maybe your sister can do it."

"What?" Kiki said. "I'm not opposed to it, but…"

Looks of skepticism rose on the faces of the two sisters. They slowly turned to look each other in the eye.

"Well, one of you has to do it," Vince said. "Look, you two decide for yourselves on who gets to do it."

Viola and Kiki looked other and whispered a little conversation with one another. It didn't take long until the two had stepped away from Vince and Pierce. They stood near a shelf of items from the store.

Pierce looked up. "What are they doing?"

Vince turned and noticed the positioning of their arms, with one hand as a fist and the other out and ready for the other hand to hit the palm. This applied to both sisters. They were playing Rock Paper Scissors.

"They are deciding on who gets to dress as the Bloody Canoness," Vince said and then turned to face Pierce. "By the way, what am I dressing as?"

Pierce turned the pages on the comic book.

"You're the Cardinal," Pierce said, showing Vince a picture of what looked like a priest or cardinal in a black cassock with red lining, as well as a red biretta and glasses with green lenses.

"Wow, I could work with this," Vince said. "Do you know where Birk will be?"

"Last I heard, he's at the STAG PR Center," Pierce said.

"Cool," Vince said.

Nearby, a loud sigh of annoyance was heard. Both men looked up and saw the sisters silently bickering.

"…You owe for me this, sis," Viola said and walked towards the two men. "I will do it."

"Good, now we just need to change," Vince said.

* * *

It took some time for both of them. Vince got into his cardinal outfit, but it took even more time for Viola to get into her canoness outfit. Viola came out in a black and white wimple, a red long coat, and what looked like a rather revealing monokini that showed a lot of her torso, ranging from her covered breasts all the way down to just below her navel. She also had red shades on and high boots.

They both got out of the place and saw Vince's Bootlegger parked in front. Viola even told Kiki to take all of her clothes, even her underwear. Vince just put his jacket in the car.

"I feel ridiculous," Viola said.

"Really? I think it's sexy," Vince said as he looked at Viola's rather skimpy outfit. "Slutty, but sexy."

"I didn't get a Master's in economics to look like a slut," Viola said.

"Isn't it nice to know you can surprise yourself?" Vince said. "Come on, let's go."

Both of them got into the Bootlegger. Vince started it up and they were off.

"I can't believe Kiki and I did that," Viola said.

"Will you relax? We just need to do our thing and we'll be out of there," Vince said.

"Are we sure Birk will even be at the PR Center?" Viola said.

"I've met this guy," Vince said. "He's probably practicing on camera already."

"Is he that serious about his work?" Viola said.

"No, he's that in love with himself," Vince said. "Well, and Shaundi, the point is he'll be there."

He continued to drive as silence filled the air for a few minutes.

Viola broke the silence, however. "Is there a plan?"

"Go in, find Josh, get out," Vince said.

"I doubt it'll be that simple," Viola said.

"We're dressed as actors, we improvise," Vince said.

"Yeah, and they start shooting at us once we got Birk in hand," Viola said. "We may need some protection on this."

"Don't worry, I got us covered in that department," Vince said and took a glance at Viola in her outfit. "Well, I don't about you."

"Shut up!" Viola said.

Vince started to chuckle a bit.

It wasn't too long until they finally reached the place. Like before, Vince parked his car a bit far away. He didn't want anything to happen to it. He quickly went for the trunk and got out a Kobra and a D4TH Blossom. He holstered his Kobra and unzipped his cassock and hung the D4TH Blossom around his neck and zipped up his cassock. Viola got a Kobra and hid it inside her outfit in one place that was covered.

"Alright, we're here," Vince said. "Hide the guns."

"Way ahead of you," Viola said.

The two walked up in a slow fashion. Many STAG soldiers stood there at attention. Vince shifted his vision towards any of the soldiers. Through his peripherals, he noticed that at least one or two STAG soldiers turned their fields of vision towards Viola. He couldn't see through the glass on their helmets, but he had an idea why they were looking.

Unbeknownst to them, a blue and black Solar pulled in from the opposite end, as well as a Kayak of the same color scheme. That can only mean one thing. However, the Deckers had decided to go in through another way, especially after the last incident at this place.

Vince opened the door. He and Viola walked in and went up to the front desk. From behind, the two STAG soldiers turned around and looked as they walked in. Several people stood in the lobby and immediately looked up. Some of whom were men all looked in the direction of Viola. Vince, however, walked up to the STAG soldier at the desk.

"Uh, we're here for the, um, Nyte Blayde shoot," Vince said.

"Yeah, yeah, go in," said the STAG soldier at the front desk and also turned his attention towards Viola.

Vince saw that happen as well and looked around. Despite some of the destruction that occurred the previous week when he and Pierce came and dealt with STAG and the Deckers, it seemed like business as usual. STAG even put up some new banners in the lobby.

The two walked towards the stairs. Viola walked beside Vince as they tried to maintain their discretion. It wasn't long until they got to the stairs as they passed some of the men in the lobby, some of whom were checking out Viola in her outfit.

"Not gonna lie, I thought this whole thing was a stunt for Pierce to see your tits, but it's actually working," Vince said as they walked up the stairs.

"I don't care if it works or not, I'm not making going out like this a habit," Viola said.

"See? You're already making nun jokes," Vince said. "I knew you'd get into this."

"I hate you," Viola said.

"Hey, at least you're getting some attention in the process," Vince said.

Viola sighed in annoyance. "Please, shut up."

The two walked across a platform that led another flight of stairs and then onto another floor. Right up ahead were two elevators behind another desk with a couple of STAG soldiers standing guard. As soon as Vince walked up, he told the lady at the desk what they were there for. The lady told them which floor it was on and soon after, Vince and Viola walked into the elevator and went up.

* * *

The elevator opened. The walls contained banners of STAG propaganda even with Nyte Blayde on it, as promotional banners with the characters that Vince and Viola were dressed as. They even included the actors' names, too.

"This looks like the right place," Viola said.

A door was open to a room that looked like it had cameras set up. Two STAG soldiers stood guard on both sides of the doorway. From a distance, Birk stood there in costume talking with some people. The others walked away and Birk started to stretch.

Birk started to say things under his breath while he was stretching, trying to get into character.

Birk took a deep breath. "I'm Nyte Blayde. I have no fear. I will save Marion. I will destroy Mr. X."

Birk turned around and saw Vince and Viola, both in costume.

"Hey, you guys want to do some warm-ups before we shoot?" Birk said as the two got closer.

He took a closer look at Vince and said, "You look familiar." Only to be met with a hard right cross to his face.

Viola scoffed. "Really?"

Vince immediately picked up Birk and put him over his shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

"Very subtle," Viola said with sarcasm.

"I know, I just…really wanted to punch him," Vince said. "Those assholes are gonna come for us. Get your gun out."

A STAG soldier came running right to the doorway the two Saints entered from. Viola quickly drew the Kobra and aimed right for the glass on the soldier's helmet. She let out a couple of shots and the soldier dropped.

Vince reached for the area he had his Kobra and saw another STAG soldier coming in from the doorway on the opposite end of the room. He wasted no time in opening fire and did the same thing, especially after last time when it was hard to take down the STAG soldiers, not to mention the Deckers were around that night.

Vince put Birk down and unzipped his cassock a bit. "Here, you'll need this."

Vince handed Viola his D4TH Blossom after he pulled it from around his neck. "If you need ammo, holler."

"Got it," Viola said. "Is he going to be alright?"

"He'll be fine," Vince said. "He just can't take a punch for shit."

"And if he isn't?" Viola said.

"Then I've done the world a favor," Vince said. "Come on, let's get the fuck out of here."

The two, or three if counting Birk, got out through the other doorway, which led into the technical and production room. A couple of were seen and quickly ducked. Somehow they had an idea that the two people dressed like Nyte Blayde's adversaries weren't actors.

The group got out of the room and into another hallway. This was going to be hard. Vince never had to carry someone like this before and use a gun at the same time. He had to do what he can.

Down the corridor, through a door way, a couple of STAG soldiers came out. Vince started to open fire, even with his pistol. Viola quickly dropped one. Vince dropped the other, as the only way to get out of there quicker was to shoot them in the head. In a doorway across the hall, a man and a woman were seen running out of there and then went through that doorway.

Vince, carrying Birk over his shoulder, saw the staircase through that door where the STAG soldiers walked through. He and Viola went down the stairs and saw another open door to a room with cubicles.

But it turned that STAG was waiting for them right there. Several STAG soldiers came running in their line of view. It wasn't long until they saw a red laser coming all the way out of the doorway, and it wasn't a laser from the Vipers that they wield.

"Shit, fuck all of us," Vince said and signaled to Viola to hide behind the wall to the right of the doorway with her gun ready.

Viola peered from one side of the wall and saw that STAG was spreading out. They weren't in their sights anymore. Viola quickly ran to get in front of Vince, as he backed up a bit. She realized that wasn't a good idea, as she was baring some skin and had no way of protecting her body. So she went behind him instead.

"You'd think they were guarding someone important," Vince said.

"I'm not surprised," Viola said. "Publicity is the key to taking a city."

"I'll stick with guns," Vince said.

"Yeah, a coma and a couple of friends dead," Viola said. "It really worked out for you."

"Alright, you got a point," Vince said. "I guess publicity works, too. I became a corporate sellout, remember?"

The three waited a bit before it was clear to get moving. The red laser pointed out into the stairwell. Vince knew that they would be screwed if he and/or Viola walked into that sniper's crosshairs. But suddenly…BANG! BANG! BANG!

"What was that?" a voice from the office room said. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, could it be those guys we're after?" another voice said.

"The sound came from downstairs," a female voice said. "Let's go look."

Vince peered from one side of the door and saw that the STAG soldiers were moving around. It was hard to get a good look with all of the cubicles in the way.

"Follow me," Vince whispered. They all started to slowly walk into the area. Vince held Birk on his shoulder with all of his strength no matter tired it was getting by that point. More gunfire was heard, as well as gunfire from the laser rifles and the shotguns that STAG wields.

The area was clear. It was time to break for it. They all walked towards the elevator at the other end of the room. They entered and hit the button for the first floor.

DING! The elevator door opened. They got out. STAG was all over the lobby.

"FUCK!" Vince yelled.

"Looks like they're all over the entrance," Viola said.

"I've been here before," Vince said. "I know another way. Why didn't I think to go down there in the first place?"

"Just hit the damn button!" Viola said.

But suddenly, some British-sounding voices yelled, "Hey, they have Nyte Blayde!"

"We must take him to Sir Matt!" another British voice said.

Vince and Viola looked up to one of their sides. The Deckers had raided the PR center once again. Several other Deckers mercenaries got into yet another gunfight with STAG. These were definitely the kind of mercenaries that were skilled in firearms and/or melee combat. Several lasers flew across the lobby. Other Deckers ran right to one of the other elevators. Viola, along with Vince carrying Birk quickly got into the elevator and went down to garage.

DING! The elevator door opened. But another sound was heard. The other elevator door opened. Vince and Viola turned around to see who was coming out.

"Shit, Deckers!" Vince said and they all ran behind a pillar. Vince noticed that Birk had woken up.

"Get Birk in a car and let's go," Vince said.

"But the Deckers," Viola said.

"Okay, you take Birk, find a car," Vince said and signaled to Viola to hand him his D4TH Blossom. "I'll take care of them."

Viola and Birk saw a blue Infuego parked there.

"That's my car," Birk said.

Viola got out her Kobra and aimed it at the actor. "Give me your keys."

"Okay, okay," Birk said, trembling as he reached for a pocket in his costume and handed her his car keys. A honking sound was made. Birk went into the backseat of his car. Viola looked out for any Deckers or STAG that could be in the area.

Meanwhile, Vince hid behind the pillar and popped out to drop the Deckers that were searching the garage area, ready to flank Viola and snatch Birk for themselves.

Vince looked around to see if any other Deckers or STAG soldiers were close by. Either group wasn't anywhere to be seen, so he ran right to the blue Infuego. Viola handed him the keys. She went into the backseat with Birk, while Vince took the driver's seat and started up the car to get out of there.

"What now?" Viola said.

"Keep him quiet until we get back to the crib," Vince said.

"How should I do that?" Viola said.

"You're the Bloody Canoness, you'll think of something," Vince said as he started driving out of the garage.

Viola scoffed in annoyance. "I'm killing Pierce."

As soon as they got out of there, several STAG N-Forcers surrounded the place, as well as soldiers, firing lasers at them. Vince hit the gas harder and quickly got out of there. At least STAG wasn't only focused on them, as more Decker cars were seen and some mercenaries and specialists went in to do battle with them.

It wasn't just the Deckers, however. Green and black Compensators and Bulldogs pulled in as well, as some Luchador mercenaries came in to assist the Deckers.

Even some helicopters, as well as red and black Justices and Infuegos came pulling in. Looks like some of the Morningstar came in to help.

"Man, it looks like the Syndicate wanted Birk as well," Viola said as she looked around.

"I thought the Morningstar was done," Vince said.

"Phillipe probably called in for some extra help," Viola said. "He still has power over the Syndicate, you know."

"But who could be leading them?" Vince said.

Just then, the thought had occurred to Viola that someone may already be back in town. After Barry's demise, it seemed that the Morningstar was done, but maybe not completely.

Birk looked at Viola and at Vince.

"Great work, guys, that was classic Boal," Josh said.

"Yeah, about that," Vince said. "Uh, we're just kidnapping you."

"Wait, what? Why?" Josh said.

"Really? Do we need to spell it out?" Viola said.

"You'll never get away with this," Josh said. "STAG, my agent, and the Nyte Blaydettes, they'll all come looking for me."

"That's too bad, Shaundi was really looking forward to seeing you," Vince said.

"Oh, Shaundi's here? I'll play your game," Josh said.

A smirk rose on Vince's face, like he wanted to laugh. But this was a way to get back at STAG, but with the Deckers wanting him, as well as the other gangs of the Syndicate joining in on the battle at the PR center, it was good that they diverted STAG's attention from the Saints.

As soon as they lost STAG, they headed straight back to the Saints HQ. Vince went straight for the garage and headed right for the elevator to go up to the penthouse.

The doors had opened. Vince led the way for Viola and Birk. Johnny, Pierce, Oleg, and Shaundi stood there and looked at Viola. Shaundi put her hand to her mouth, clearly smiling like she was ready to laugh, while Johnny was looking at Viola a certain way. Oleg smirked, but being the gentlemen that he was, or at least tried to be, he looked away.

"Damn, Viola, looking good," Johnny said.

"Shut up, Johnny," Viola said. "Where's Kiki?"

"Over here, Vi," Kiki said as she walked up.

"Do you have my clothes?" Viola said.

"Of course, follow me," Kiki said.

Viola quickly got out of there and followed her sister to go change.

Shaundi looked at Vince and then saw someone who she didn't expect, nor wanted to see.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Shaundi said.

"Whoa there, Shaundi," Vince said. "We're trying to get the jump on STAG."

Birk looked at Shaundi and looked her in the eye.

"Hello, my love," Josh said, trying to sound smooth but it didn't work.

"Oh, hell no," Shaundi said. "If you're keeping him around, you better have a good plan on what to do with him."

"Relax, you said you'll be calm," Vince said. "Try to play nice here. I'll talk with Birk about this, okay?"

Shaundi sighed in annoyance. "This better be worth it. I hope this has nothing to do with what we talked about."

"Not at all," Vince said. "Just a little plan to stick it to STAG. I'll have a word with Birk. You try to play nice, okay?"

Shaundi sighed. "Oh, okay."

Shaundi walked away, as did Vince.

"Hey, sir," Birk said to Vince, who turned his attention towards him. "Hey, you think you can try to get me some regular clothes or something? I don't want to be in my costume for too long."

"I will see what I can do," Vince said. "Let me get out of this cardinal outfit."

"Okay, thanks," Birk said.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the STAG PR Center, all of the Syndicate had retreated, even though bodies of Decker mercenaries, as well as Luchador and Morningstar mercenaries, along with STAG soldiers were laid out in the lobby. Some bodies of civilians were seen.

Cyrus Temple, along with Kia went to check on the place. Accompanied by STAG soldiers as well, they saw that it hadn't been that long since the shootout with STAG and the Deckers, as they, along with the Saints were after that supercomputer.

Temple led his team up the lobby. Some civilians survived the carnage but they quickly got out of dodge when the gunfire died down. Temple, Kia, and the other soldiers took the elevator up to the floor where the shoot was supposed to take place.

"Kia, go check the other rooms," Cyrus said.

"On it, sir," Kia said and walked with some other soldiers to check out the area.

Cyrus and the soldiers searched the office area. They stormed through a door and saw some civilians laid out on the floor. Whether it was from the Saints, the Deckers, or even his own people, it was uncertain.

"Check the bodies," Cyrus said.

The soldiers scoped the room and did their part. However, one found a piece of red cloth that hung on a table. The soldier handed the piece to the commander. He got out his scanner.

"Get me Monica Hughes," Temple said. "They have Birk."

 _"What? Well find him, god damn it!"_ Senator Hughes said.

"I assure you, ma'am, we'll get him back," Temple said. "Temple out."

"Sir," a female voice said. Temple turned around and saw Kia and her fellow soldiers.

"I had received word from some surviving civilians that a couple of people dressed as Nyte Blayde characters had Birk in possession," Kia said. "Maybe we should check security footage."

"Good call, Kia," Temple said. "Let's go see."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I went back and forth on this one. This one was, so far, the hardest to come up with a good setup. I had initially thought of the idea of both twins having to decide on who had to dress as the Bloody Canoness. However, I also had thought about what if Kiki were to do it. I will note that I wrote an alternate version of this mission with Kiki in place of Viola. I may post it after I finish this story overall as a bonus chapter.


	35. Playing with a Full Deck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, people. I am back with another chapter. I haven't exactly been very enthusiastic lately. If you want to know why, let's say that it has to with this group of site cops/vigilantes on Fanfiction.net and they're trying to crack down on my story over there. For those who don't know, they are called Critics United. But I am not going to let them stop me.
> 
> Here is an interlude chapter. I will continue with the Deckers storyline before I get to the final part of it. Enjoy!

The Syndicate had been dealing with some problems. Some of the problems had been with the Saints, whom had been causing problems for the Syndicate as whole, particularly the Morningstar. The Deckers had decided to make their mark on them with their expertise in the digital world, something the Saints had little familiarity with, which was the reason they recruited Kinzie Kensington to their organization.

Another problem for the Syndicate was the Special Tactical Anti-Gang Unit, better known as STAG. Many Deckers, Luchadores, and any remnants of the Morningstar had fallen victim to their assault. STAG proved that they were as corrupt as the Saints and the Syndicate, despite believing that they were doing all of this for the greater good. It didn't help that many civilians were caught in the crossfire from their attacks.

However, the Deckers tried to get the upper hand on STAG and the Saints one night when they received information that STAG had a supercomputer provided by the Ultor Corporation, only to be beaten by the Saints when they managed to take the computer for themselves. The next night they had their NEMO chair taken by the Saints. It only made things worse for them, especially since the Saints had taken over the Burns Hill Reactors, one of their primary hideouts.

A meeting was called at the Deckers Tower in Loren Square. It was time to see what they should do. Prior to that meeting, Matt had met with Phillipe and Killbane, both of whom had power and influence over him. Matt may be the leader of the Deckers, but he mainly handled his own stuff in front of the computer as he mostly excelled in that department.

The meeting was set. A blue and black Kayak rolled up in front of the building with Criminals and Solars of the same colors surrounding that car pulled up as well. Similar cars came as well. This was mainly a meeting for the Deckers, but Luchadores and Morningstar mercenaries stood guard outside in case something were to go down, whether it was with the Saints or STAG.

Matt walked with his entourage, particularly his personal friends from England like Chester, Homer, Jack, Archie, Steven, Raymond, and Lyric, a female member who dressed like the other Deckers. Jack was black with a neon blue streak in his hair. Grace and Kirsten, the two elite enforcers and sometimes shot-callers walked behind them. They didn't have their skates on, but they still wore their usual outfits that the specialists often wore – the jacket with red shirt and skirt with the blue and pink patterns.

Everyone walked to the boardroom of the building, which was on a high floor. The hallways and the walls contained a lot of blue, black, and pink patterns, with the Syndicate's signature pink star, likely originated by the Morningstar. Some other designs contained skulls, particularly the Deckers' signature skull symbol and also blue stars.

They all entered the boardroom, which had the same color patterns. The table at the center was black with a blue star and the neon blue skull in the middle. Matt placed himself in a chair, while everyone sat down in the chairs. Grace and Kristen stood guard, being the enforcers that they are.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Matt said. "It has come to my attention that the Saints have become even more of a nuisance. They have STAG's supercomputer and they took the chair, THE CHAIR. Some of our people failed in capturing the talented Josh Birk. We were also supposed to send a message to STAG."

"What should we do about this?" Jack said.

"I can only think of a few things," Matt said. "I am well-aware that they have Agent Kensington as part of their organization. I know that she has her ways in the cyber-world. She has tried to best all of us, but you all know as well as I do that I always get the upper hand."

"What is there left for us to do?" Lyric said. "Some of our best men were killed by the leader of the Saints."

"Much to all of our surprise, that bloke let us all live," Homer said. "Not sure what else we can do."

"Maybe I can add something," a female British voice said near Matt. It turned out to be Kirsten. "Did you forget that we have a couple of spies in the Saints right now? Also, did you forget that Grace and I have set up surveillance for any Saints location?"

"I did not forget," Matt said. "Lucas and Cappie have been filling us in on stuff."

"That reminds me," Kirsten said. "I called them over, because they have a few things to say."

"Now why didn't they come with us to begin with?" Matt said.

"They're Saints members, remember?" Kirsten said.

"Or so they think," said Grace, who stood nearby.

"Are they here?" Matt said.

"They are outside, trying to make sure none of their fellow Saints are out watching," Grace said.

"Well get them up here," Matt said.

Grace got her phone out and told any of the mercenaries outside to let them in and to inform them which floor they were on. It took about five to ten minutes to get up to the boardroom. In walked two men dressed in Saints gear. Lucas was the one in the white jacket with purple on it with the Saints logo that said "St" on it. Cappie wore a black and purple Saints sweatshirt.

"Lucas, Cappie, how delightful for you join all of us," Matt said.

"It's not easy when all of downtown is run by the Saints," Lucas said.

"Some people would even start asking around," Cappie said.

Silence went through the air after that. Matt decided to break that.

"Have you found out what Madam Kensington is planning?" Matt said. The way he said "madam" was done in a sarcastic manner.

"Miss Kensington doesn't really like people in her place," Cappie said. "But Lucas and I had overheard some stuff."

Lucas added, "I already told you that she wants to hack into the Decker use-net. She has a big plan involving the Boss."

"Hmmmm, interesting," Matt said. "Anything else you found out?"

"Nah, she is too fucking secretive to let anyone else in," Lucas said. "Remember, I was the one who helped the Syndicate on getting those stripper assassins in at that party. But this bitch is something else."

"No, that's okay," Matt said. "If that FBI reject is going to have her leader Vince Shane to battle the cyber-god himself, I'll be ready. I have my ways to defeat him."

Just the fact that Matt knew the Saints leader's name was enough to see that he was one step ahead of the Saints in other areas.

"But what about the other Saints?" Raymond said. "There is more than just their leader."

Kirsten and Grace stepped in. "You let us worry about them," Kirsten said. "Grace and I have our ways."

Grace nodded her head at that comment. Matt looked up his two enforcers when he heard that. The two women were clearly older than some of the primary Deckers in the room, not including their spies in the Saints. If he believed that they could take care of any other Saints, then he could focus on his plan to take on the leader of the Saints in cyberspace. He was more than ready to do it. He just had to see when the time will be.

* * *

**SAINTS HQ**

It was now the next day. Vince had gotten up. Josh Birk had been staying with the Saints, much to the chagrin of Shaundi. He had talked to both of them about this situation. There were even times when others had to keep an eye on Birk, like Pierce, Oleg, Johnny, or even some of the soldiers who were working their way to being lieutenants.

Vince had gotten out of the shower and dried himself off. He looked at his phone and saw a new text message was received. It was from Kinzie. He opened it up. It read:

_Boss, call me. It's urgent. I got a proposition for you._

Vince immediately complied with Kinzie's request.

 _"Hello, Boss,"_ Kinzie said. _"Good, you got my message."_

"What's wrong, Kinzie?" Vince said.

 _"I need you to meet me at my inner sanctum,"_ Kinzie said. _"We have some problems with the Deckers. Come by soon. I have a plan."_

"Okay, I'll be there in a bit," Vince said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this one. I know it was rather short. There will be at least a couple of more Deckers-related chapters before Deckers.die.
> 
> I also felt like I needed to put in a bit involving the Deckers. I did that for the Morningstar, so I did the same for the Deckers. I plan to do this for STAG and the Luchadores when the time comes.
> 
> Next up, the Saints find out that there are a couple of moles in their organization, along with some other things that are onto them. Stay tuned.


	36. Chasing Moles

Vince pulled up to Kinzie's warehouse in Salander in his Bootlegger. He pulled in and the rolling door opened and parked the car inside. He got out and looked around.

"Kinzie?" Vince said.

"I'm up here," Kinzie said. The voice was barely audible, but it seemed that she was the only one besides Vince in the warehouse. He should have known that she would be up at her command center. He looked around and saw the special setup she made with the NEMO chair, as it was set only a small distance from the supercomputer. Whatever this woman had planned, it better be worth it, and safe, too.

Vince went forth to walk up the stairs. He remembered where her personal command center was, her "inner sanctum" as she often put it. He walked in.

"Hey, Kinzie," Vince said.

Kinzie spun around in a 180-degree angle on her chair and shifted her focus right to her boss.

"Good, you're here," Kinzie said.

"What's going on? You wanted to me to come over," Vince said. "You couldn't have just told me over the phone?"

"I needed you here for a few reasons," Kinzie said. "It appears that a couple of Saints have been reported to the Deckers, and possibly the Syndicate as a whole."

"Wait, what? You're just barely telling me this?" Vince said.

"I didn't find out until very recently," Kinzie said. "Come here, I need to show you."

Kinzie looked at one of her monitors and pointed to that particular one to Vince, who got closer.

"I found some camera footage of these two walking into the Deckers Tower last night," Kinzie said. "Somehow I had an odd feeling about them, but I wasn't sure what it was. But I had seen some footage in some areas with Lucas and Cappie meeting with Matt Miller's top enforcers."

She opened up a still image of that shot. Vince took a closer look at them. The enforcers looked like women, similarly dressed like the Decker specialists that he had dealt with before.

"I want you to take those two out," Kinzie said. "I will pay you to do this and I also want you take out Kirsten, who is one of the Deckers' top enforcers."

"I could take out both of them if I have to," Vince said. "From what I've been told, that Miller kid doesn't really get his hands dirty unless he is in front of a computer, but I had dealt with some of their mercs. Some of them don't even fuck around."

"Well, these two ladies lead their soldiers in handling things in…a more violent manner," Kinzie said. "It's like they're the real leaders of the Deckers. Matt just handles the hacking for the Syndicate, which is why he is on the same level as Phillipe Loren and Killbane."

"I hear you, so what's the deal?" Vince said.

Kinzie said, "I found that Lucas and Cappie hang around with some others who are either Deckers dressed like Saints, or maybe other moles in the gang. I have something for you to wear."

Kinzie got up from her chair and went to a closet and pulled something out. She walked out with a black jacket with some neon blue lines and Decker symbols on it. It was on a hanger. She also pulled out a pair of gray pants with the same patterns and the types of shoes that the Deckers wore, and of course, a little backpack and a pair of headphones.

"Hold up, you want me to dress like a Decker?" Vince said.

"They don't have a clue that we know what they're up to," Kinzie said. "For all we know, they might think you're a Decker."

"This disguise doesn't really hide much of my face," Vince said. "No worry, I have my shades on me and I can always put up the hood."

"That'll work," Kinzie said. "I found that they're hanging out at Burns Hill right now."

"Good to know," Vince said. "Just one question, how and why did you get this outfit made and how do you know my exact size? Also, when will our plan be ready with that big ass computer system out there?"

"You ask too many questions," Kinzie said. "I said I will let you know. It's almost ready."

"Right, right," Vince said. "I will go change."

It didn't take long for Vince to change his clothes. Being that he was going up against some people, when he took his clothes to his car, he got out a ballistics vest from his trunk. He often told himself that "you never know if you need it." It was possible that he would get gunned down. Of course, that could be said about any moment. He was lucky to have a vest that night he was shot by William Sharp. If only he could have saved Lin that night, but it didn't seem like she could have been saved. He still thought about that night at times.

Vince walked back up the stairs to get to Kinzie.

"How do I look?" Vince said as he modeled for her.

"I think this will work," Kinzie said. "They're still over there right now, hurry."

"I'll be over there in a bit," Vince said as he raced down the stairs and went to his Bootlegger. The door opened immediately. He raced alongside the docks with the water to his right. It wasn't long until he reached the road.

Burns Hill was close by, so it didn't take long to get there. He rolled around the Burns Hill area. The Saints had taken over that area, as the Deckers' territory was pretty much done as fellow Saints soldiers had done battle with some of the Deckers' operations. Vince looked around. Anytime he saw any Saints, he wasn't sure, but some of them weren't who he was looking for.

There was one last area to search – the reactors. Vince drove up the squiggly road up the hill. Once he hit the intersection, he looked to his left and then to his right. From a distance, he saw a group of Saints all walking together. He drove in their general direction at a slow speed. He looked to his right and found that the group was being led by Lucas and Cappie. The target was in his sights, but in order to make the disguise believable, he had to park the car at a distance from them. It made him wonder why he didn't just steal a Solar or Kayak from them, but that wasn't important.

He turned into the gateway entrance to the power plant and parked his car behind the wall. He peered from the corner of the gateway and saw the group of Saints walking. They looked like a group of people just talking, as well as patrolling the area. It was time to make his move.

He opened the trunk and got out a Kobra and put it in a holster inside the jacket. He also got out a D4TH Blossom. He had to make his disguise believable. He even tested out his voice to make himself English.

He peered out again. The group of Saints was a bit farther up ahead. Vince ran to another end where there was another opening to get out of the yard of the power plant. He ran as fast as he could. The group of Saints had turned to their left at a corner. Vince got out through another gateway, at which point he had the hood over his head.

Showtime. Vince thought. It was now or never. Vince walked slowly across the street where to the sidewalk where the group of Saints was. From a distance he heard some talking.

"…He doesn't know shit," Lucas said. "Besides, Matt is paying both of us, but some of the other money is coming from those two ladies."

"You better be right," Cappie said. "I wouldn't be trying to fuck with those two ladies. Miller may have his skills, but Kirsten and Grace seem like they're the real ones in charge of the Deckers. Imagine if we did some favors for Phillipe Loren or even Killbane."

"Maybe that's the next step," Lucas said and looked up in front of him. He saw a guy dressed in a Decker outfit.

"Speak of the devil, we got to tell our man something right now," Lucas said.

Lucas, Cappie, and the others approached the Decker soldier, or so they believe.

"Cheerio, mate," Vince said in a terrible attempt at a British accent.

"Hey, man, I got word that a couple of high-ranking Saints members are headed to Planet Saints in Salander," Lucas said. "Maybe you can help take them out."

"Thanks for the advice, mate," Vince said in his bad British accent and pulled the hood up from over his head. Lucas and Cappie looked at their leader.

"Oh shit, fuck me!" Lucas said.

Without word, Vince pulled out his D4TH Blossom and quickly opened fire on the two Saints traitors. He pumped both of them full of lead. However, as soon as they dropped, the other Saints traitors quickly drew their guns and wasted little time in opening fire. Vince let out a few shots to the legs of the other traitors. He quickly dove to the edge of the road that close to the slope that went down the hill.

He crawled up and looked up and saw that they struggled to get up, but also grabbed a hold of their weapons. Vince sprayed a lot of rounds and emptied the clip right on them just to finish them off. While they were a part of his own gang, he didn't appreciate the fact that they had betrayed their own.

Suddenly, Vince's phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw that it was Kinzie.

Vince pushed the button on his earpiece. "What's up, Kinzie?"

 _"Boss, you might want to head down to Planet Saints in Salander,"_ Kinzie said. _"Johnny and Pierce are under attack. You might want to go help them."_

"I will, on my way," Vince said. "Send some reinforcements, stat!"

 _"Got it,"_ Kinzie said.

He ran right to the area where he his Bootlegger. He started up and stepped on the gas to find another open gateway. He didn't take long to go down the hill. With the amount of speed and torque that this car had, he just flew down the hill and was lucky to have all four tires land on the road. He sped down the road to head to Planet Saints.

As he drove, there was something irregular that he saw in the sky. It looked like a hover-bike or something like that. It didn't seem like anything he had seen before. Could it have been STAG? He was unsure. All that was on his mind was coming to his friends' aid.

He found another magazine and loaded it right into his D4TH Blossom. He strolled right down the road. It didn't take long until he got to the Planet Saints location. Several blue and black cars were parked in the street.

Vince shifted gears and turned the steering wheel to drift and spun his car around and had the SMG pointed outside the window and quickly opened fire to any Decker soldiers that were trying to gun down Pierce and/or Johnny. A few of them dropped. Vince quickly put the car in park and ran right to his friends, whom were hiding behind Pierce's Infuego.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Vince said.

"Fuck if I know," Pierce said. "These guys just came at us. Johnny and I were just looking for areas where the Deckers were rolling and then all this bullshit happened."

"Nothing that we can't handle," Johnny said. "I thought these guys were mostly computer nerds.

"Only some of them are," Vince said. "Remember that night at the barge? Shaundi and I dealt with some. It seems the rest of them are a bunch of hired guns who know what the fuck they're doing."

"At least it's not those big wrestler motherfuckers," Johnny said. "Why are you dressed like one of those guys, by the way?"

"Oh, we'll get to them soon," Vince said. "I'll explain later."

"Not the time, guys," Pierce said. "Let's blast their asses."

Vince and Johnny popped from cover and started firing away at any Deckers. Pierce looked from around the corner of the back of his car. He started to open fire with his TEK-Z10.

Some of the Deckers were ahead of them as they followed the same strategy. Some used the side of their cars as cover. It seemed that the Kayaks were the perfect cover given their shape.

Lucky for them, Johnny had his K-8 Krukov upgraded with a grenade launcher. He quickly launched a grenade to the Kayak that the Decker mercenaries in cover. KABOOM! The car went up, as did they.

The three Saints, as well as any reinforcements that came by, they all went to work on the Deckers. Johnny and Vince got hit. They fell back.

"Boss! Johnny!" Pierce yelled.

"Relax, I got a vest," Vince said.

"So do I," Johnny said. "Let's fucking finish this."

The two slowly got up and got back into action. A purple Criminal pulled up. Dave, Lucy, Tony, and Precious came out and joined in on the fight.

However, a blue and black Criminal pulled up with their own special weapon on the bed of the truck. It was something they did not want to see.

"Oh, you got to be fucking kidding me," Vince said at the sight of the brute.

"I thought we blew up the Syndicate's tower," Johnny said.

"The Syndicate got their own connections, remember," Pierce said.

"Hey, Boss," a female voice said. Vince and the other two turned to their soldiers. It was Precious talking.

"We got the rest of the Deckers," Precious said. "You three handle that big guy."

Everyone was all in agreement. Vince, Johnny, and Pierce fired any bullets they had at the brute. The other four Saints took down the Deckers. Even when some tried to flank them, they all had each other's backs. All that mattered was surviving and taking them all out.

Vince, Johnny, and Pierce pumped the brute with so much lead. The brute went down. The trio stood over the brute's upper body, pointing their guns right to its face. They all pulled the trigger right until there was a bloody mess on the pavement. It was safe to say that the brute was down.

They looked around and saw the bodies of many Decker mercenaries laid out. Some bodies of some Decker specialists were even down. Most of the focus of the three high-ranking members was on the brute. The other four Saints managed to take care of the others.

"Man, this is getting crazy," Pierce said. "Does Matt Miller have the kind of pull for these guys?"

"I wouldn't say it's him," Vince said. "Kinzie told me that most of the heavy-lifting is on these two ladies. I would have assumed that at least one of them would have shown herself."

"Well, we all took care of them," Johnny said. "So what is the deal with this Miller guy?"

"He's just a little shit who is good at doing damage on a computer," Vince said. "Kinzie and I have our plan for Miller."

"Is her system ready?" Pierce said.

Vince said, "Not yet, she just said that…"

BANG! Vince fell down right to the pavement. Pierce, Johnny, and the other four Saints turned to see that their leader was now on the ground.

"Boss, are you okay?!" Johnny said. "What just happened?"

Vince gritted his teeth a bit. While no blood was visible in his torso, he had his hand right on his chest.

"I…don't…know," Vince said.

"Well, we'll get you to back to the crib," Johnny said. "Pierce and I will…"

BANG! Another gunshot was let out, except this time Johnny fell forward to the pavement. It seemed like he was shot in his back. No blood came out of his back. It appeared that Vince and Johnny had vests on, but the kind of shots they took, they're lucky that the shot didn't kill them, at least not right then.

Pierce, Tony, Dave, Precious, and Lucy all looked in shock. They looked around. Who could have done this?

"Fuck all this," Pierce said. "We're taking you to a hospital. Come on. I'ma let everyone else know about this."

Pierce picked up Vince to get to his feet. Tony and Lucy helped Johnny get to his feet. Vince and Johnny were put in the backseat of the Criminal. Dave and Lucy drove them, while Precious and Dave rode with Pierce.

* * *

From a rooftop up above, a woman looked through the scope of her McManus 2015 rifle. It was none other than Cypher. She got out her phone and pushed the button on her headset.

"Mr. Jackson, it's done," Cypher said. "Both Mr. Shane and Mr. Gat are done."

 _"Well done, Cypher,"_ Dex said. _"I will get the money to you somehow. I know that the money was mainly on the Saints' leader, but Mr. Gat was an added bonus. However, if you want, I can provide an even bigger bonus."_

"What might that be, sir?" Cypher said.

 _"Well, I was thinking that maybe you can help out STAG in their cause,"_ Dex said. _"I can give you names of some prominent figures in the Saints. While I have never met them, they have quite a presence in the gang. If you want the names, I will forward them to you."_

"I shall see about this," Cypher said. "How about if we meet soon and discuss your plan? And maybe you can give me the money for the job."

 _"Okay, I see where you're going with this,"_ Dex said. _"Come meet me in my office in a few hours and then we'll talk."_

"Got it," Cypher said.

After the call had ended, the Saints' cars in front of Planet Saints were now gone, but even from that distance something grabbed Cypher's eye. She quickly looked through the scope of her rifle. She pinpointed the exact area where Vince and Johnny were shot. There was one problem – the pavement was not red. Though she managed to get some shots on them, she knew that she didn't kill them. She figured that they had bulletproof vests on. However, she used 5.56mm bullets. The kind of vests they used likely wouldn't have been able to work against them.

To her, this job wasn't done yet. Not by a long shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was it for this one. I initially had thought about doing a final battle with Grace and Kirsten, but I decided to wait for at least the next chapter.
> 
> Yes, you saw that I based this chapter on one of the assassination missions. I looked at videos and saw that in the original version, the Decker outfit was just how it was on the Deckers. It wasn't until the remastered version that the outfit was purple. I decided to go with the original version.
> 
> I did not forget about the Cypher storyline. In fact, I was thinking about the right moment to have her appear again. Speaking of which, I had to do some research about bulletproof vests and I know that in movies, it's usually shown that the vest can deflect bullets and any other kind of gunshot. In reality, it's not always the case, at least depending on the kind of vest that is used. Plus, I had to show Vince and Johnny in pain from the shots. If someone gets shot with a vest, it can leave someone in pain, sometimes certain bullets can pierce through a vest, depending on the type. It made me remember a certain scene from Training Day when a guy got shot by a shotgun and he had a vest on. He was still affected by it.
> 
> As for that cliffhanger ending, don't worry. There will be more to come. Vince and Johnny aren't dead, but the shots could have been worse. Stay tuned.


	37. Salt in the Wounds

Vince and Johnny were admitted to the hospital in Brickston, as that one was the closest. Though they had ballistics vests on when they got shot, the type of bullets that hit them was so powerful that they wondered if they pierced through their armor. Pierce wasted no time in escorting both men. If there was one thing that Pierce was regarding the gang, it was loyal. Though he may have been picked on, he was more respected than he was when he first started in the Saints three years prior.

When they were being taken to the hospital, some of the Saints' soldiers saw that Vince and Johnny were in a lot of pain. The question on everyone's minds was who could have shot them. Whoever did this was a good shot. As far as anybody the Saints had dealt with, the Morningstar had snipers, but this seemed different to them.

Once they arrived, it didn't take long for any emergency medical technicians to haul them off on stretchers. Vince and Johnny slowly moved onto the stretchers when they were being rolled off. On Vince's Decker jacket, they saw the bullet hole on the jacket. It was the same size as the one on the back of Johnny's jacket. How bad could this be?

Pierce and the other four Saints looked on as they were being taken away. Lucy, the Asian one with the small jacket and purple skirt got close to Pierce.

"What do you think happened?" Lucy said.

"I don't know," Pierce said. "But whoever shot them knew what the fuck they were doing."

Tony, the Hispanic one with a purple jacket and a purple hat, as well as black pants got closer to the two.

"Do you think it was the Deckers or any of the Syndicate?" Tony said. "Or STAG?"

"Like I said, I don't know," Pierce said. "If it was any of those motherfuckers, they would have targeted all of us. Only Boss and Johnny got shot. It was like they were the targets of some contract."

"You mean like an assassination?" Lucy said.

"Some shit like that," Tony said. "It's like the person was hired to smoke both of them. We already got enough problems as it is. The Syndicate, STAG. Now we got a mysterious killer on the loose."

"Sure looks like it," Pierce said. "But Boss and Johnny are tough guys. I'm sure that they'll make it."

Precious and Dave looked on as well.

"We all hope that," Dave said.

"Anyway, the rest of the crew should be here soon," Pierce said. "I called up Shaundi, the twins, and some others."

* * *

Meanwhile, in an emergency room, Vince and Johnny were told to take off their jackets and shirts. When Vince unzipped his jacket, he saw the hole on his shirt. The moment he took his shirt, he looked at the hole on his vest. The hole looked deep. Some of the eyes of the EMTs were wide at the sight of the hole on the chest of the vest.

When Johnny was being tended to, he was asked to the same thing. The only difference was that they had to look at his back. The same looks of shock rose on the faces of the other EMTs.

"Mr. Shane," one EMT said. "That is your name, isn't it?"

Vince sighed and nodded his head.

"Listen, I need you to take of the vest as well," the EMT said.

Vince rolled his eyes, but complied. He reached for the straps and slowly pulled off his bulletproof vest. Johnny did the same thing. It was then that the eyes of the EMTs once again widened, except this time this jaws dropped at the sight of the bare torsos of both Saints. Both men had to be looked at, in the exact areas where they were shot.

One EMT took a closer look at Vince's chest. It looked like his skin had been broken a bit, as well as a bit purple in that area. It was even darker than how his back looked that night he jumped from the helicopter. What was even more alarming was that the welt on his chest looked like it had a bit of blood coming on. That's not even getting into a few scars from some gunshots he had taken before.

As for Johnny, the EMT on his end took a close look at his back. The welt he had was the same as Vince's. It dawned on the orderlies that they were shot by the same kind of bullets. Johnny had the same type of scars and welts on him from any gunshots and stabbings he suffered.

"Mr. Gat, I may need you to turn around," a female EMT said.

When she saw Johnny's front, like his chest and stomach, so many alarms went off right there. It was even the same with the male EMT with Vince.

"We're going to have get the doctor in here to look at the both of you," the male EMT said.

It took some time before a doctor went into the ER to look at both Saints. A man who looked like he was about late-30s to early-40s walked in with a white coat.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Hastings, I'm a big fan of you guys," the doctor said. "Some of my nurses and EMTs told me to look at you two."

"Shit, it's nothing we haven't been through," Johnny said as he sat there while Vince lied on the operating table.

Dr. Hastings looked at the bare torsos of both men. "I can definitely see that."

One thing that caught the doctor's eye was what was seen on Johnny's lower abdomen. He noticed a couple of scars that were clearly from stab wounds. The one that really made the doctor wonder was the bigger scar. Although a wound that was now becoming a scar was visible, likely from being stabbed by Phillipe Loren, the other scar raised even more concern. It was from when Johnny was stabbed by the Ronin's enforcer, Jyunichi just a few years prior. How he was still living was anyone's guess.

"I don't know what it is that keeps the two of you going, but you'd better pray you have little of it left," Dr. Hastings said.

Vince and Johnny looked at each other. They both started to reflect on what they had gone through over the years. Gunfire, stabbings, anything that could be fatal, but they were often treated well enough depending on how bad the injuries were.

Dr. Hastings took a look at their vests. "You two could not be any luckier to be alive right now."

"What can I say, it's a gift," Vince said.

Dr. Hastings sighed. "I don't know. The type of bullets that hit you, they managed to barely break through your vests."

"What do you mean, doc?" Johnny said.

"These types of vests are police issue," Dr. Hastings said. "The bullets that you two were shot by were military grade. From what I can tell you, some skin broke and could have been inserted into your bodies a little more if we were dealing with much powerful rounds. You two were lucky that you even had the vests on when you got shot."

"Damn right," Johnny said.

"So what, can we go now?" Vince said.

"I think you two should stick around for a bit, I'll have some people look at the wounds in a bit," Dr. Hastings said. "I'll be back."

After the doctor left, Vince and Johnny sat in the room in dead silence.

"Man, aren't we lucky that the sniper didn't aim for our heads?" Johnny said.

Vince scoffed. "Tell me about it."

"So tell me, who do you think did it?" Johnny said. "Morningstar, Deckers, even the Luchadores? What about STAG?"

"It's possible, but I have a hunch it wasn't them," Vince said.

"Oh? Tell me why you don't think that," Johnny said.

Vince took a deep breath. "You and I were the ones shot. The sniper didn't fire a bullet at Pierce or even our other people."

"Oh shit, I see what you're saying," Johnny said. "So you think we're marked men?"

"Sure looks that way," Vince said. "Even if we already have some problems as it is."

"I know I can find whoever came at us and lay 'em out like that, no sweat," Johnny said.

"How will you do that?" Vince said. "That shot could have been from anywhere. I am surprised that they didn't aim for our heads."

"You got that right," Johnny said. "Shit, Vince, we wouldn't have made it if they shot us with .30 or .50 caliber bullets."

Johnny paused for a bit. "So I was wondering, are you and Shaundi going to try to work shit out soon?"

Vince sighed. "We're cool, but things are sort of complicated between us right now. She was a bit jealous about some other women in my life."

"For real?" Johnny said. "Why should she be jealous? You two aren't seeing anybody and she fucked half of Stilwater, but _she's_ the one who's jealous? Don't tell me you brought Birk to the crib to piss her off."

"Hey, don't say that, we're trying to send STAG a message," Vince said when he quickly turned right to Johnny after he said that. "Besides, I made it clear to her that it's not the right time right now."

"You'll know when it's the right time," Johnny said. "I remember some of the ladies you had on your jock. Remember Tera?"

"We had our little thing, but she went back to handling her science shit," Vince said. "We still talk sometimes, though."

"Women, it's hard to understand them sometimes," Johnny said. "Even before Eesh died, I wondered how and why she put up with a guy like me. But that was love, man. I mean I ran with a gang and killed a lot of people, but she was out making music. Yet we still had our thing going on. It's crazy how life hits us in so many different ways."

"No doubt, I still think about Lin all the time, too," Vince said. "Oh, I forgot to tell you this recently, but when I went to meet with Pierce and the twins, some nerd boy came up to me and I found out about your comic book. Did you know that your comic is being made into a movie?"

"What? Are you serious? Man, Ultor should have called me about this," Johnny said.

"Relax, I told Legal Lee about it," Vince said. "We should get word from him and then we'll talk about the damn movie. I mean it's like what you said – we used to be something more than all the lunchboxes, body spray, and Saints Flow. Ever since coming to Steelport, it's making me forget about all the corporate bullshit."

"I love making money just as much as anybody, but ever since Loren tried to fuck us over, we really needed to step back into our old habits," Johnny said. "That is one guy we still need to take out."

"I'm with you on that, man," Vince said and extended his hand out, as did Johnny. They fist-bumped each other.

Dr. Hastings walked through the door. Vince and Johnny looked at the doctor approach them. He was carrying a bottle with him.

"Okay, you two, I got some stuff here that can help ease the pain from the shots," Dr. Hastings said. "I want you to put some of this on there and put some ice on it later. Just try to be careful out there, okay?"

"We will, don't worry," Johnny said. "I've been through worse."

"Have a good day, doctor," Vince said.

Both men put their shirts and jackets back on, despite the holes from the bullets on them.

They both got back into the lobby. Pierce and the other four, as well some other people were there.

"Johnny! Vince! There you are," a female voice said. Both men looked up and saw Shaundi.

Shaundi quickly approached Vince and gave him a hug. Despite some of their issues, she cared enough to hug him right then. Vince hugged her back.

"Hold up, Vince? Since when are you going by your real name?" Pierce said.

"Well, I'm still not that used to it, but I'm getting there," Vince said.

"I see, well, some other people are here because they were worried," Pierce said.

Vince and Johnny looked around. Aimee was seen with a young man who had blonde hair.

"Hey, Boss, we came as soon as we heard," Aimee said. "This here is Shawn."

"Shawn?" Vince said, as it was clear that this young man that his lieutenant was with was someone he knew. "That's your name?"

"Well, I do have a real name, 'Speed Phreak' is just my nickname for the internet and stuff," the young man said.

"You two know each other?" Aimee said.

"We've met before," Vince said. "Anyway, let's get back to the crib. Johnny and I need to relax our injuries before we do anything else."

"Maybe I just need to take a dip in the hot tub," Johnny said. "Come on, let's go."

Vince called Shaundi's attention. "Hey, who's watching Birk?"

"Oh, today is Viola and Kiki's turn to watch him," Shaundi said. "I think maybe it was best for him to turn his attention to them so he would stop asking for my phone number or trying to talk to me."

"Oh, come on, Shaundi, really?" Vince said.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who brought him to the crib like that," Shaundi said. "That guy even tried to get close to me a few times. I thought you said you talked to him."

"I did, but that guy really has it bad for you," Vince said. "Listen, I will talk to him some more."

As everyone was leaving the hospital, a pimpmobile was parked outside. Zimos, Saint Rocco, Venus, and a familiar Mexican woman got out of the car.

"…YOU!" Shaundi said with so much venom in her voice when she saw Luz with them and started walking really fast towards her.

Vince and Johnny quickly got in front of her.

"Shaundi, be cool," Vince said.

Luz looked up at Shaundi, eyes widened, jaw dropped, and her mouth right to her lips. She was so confused about this.

 _"What's going on, Playa?"_ Zimos said. _"Pierce filled us in on that you and Johnny got shot."_

"We're fine, but we need to rest," Vince said.

"What's wrong with Shaundi over there?" Zimos said.

"Something I need to talk to her about," Vince said. _Some more._ Vince thought to himself.

It didn't take long before everyone got in their vehicles and headed back to the Saints HQ. However, from a distance, two women in blue and black gear with skirts and rollerblades rolled up.

"They're heading back," Grace said.

Kirsten nodded. "Let's call some of the others and we'll follow them. I know where they're going."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this one. I will pick up with this left off and then I will get to the final Deckers mission. It will happen, trust me.
> 
> Dr. Hastings was one of the characters who provided challenges in the game, as was Speed Phreak. Being that Aimee provided the challenge of vehicle surfing and from what I've read, she was also supposed to provide the challenge of other stunt-based challenges but was scrapped. Also, you saw that I have her play somewhat of a role in my story and really, I think Aimee and Speed Phreak are kind of a good match for each other.
> 
> I also felt that Johnny hadn't been featured as much in this story, so I wanted to give him and Vince some time to talk. Really, it was kind of an interaction between two friends, so why not have that? We will see some more of Johnny handling his business soon. Just wait.
> 
> I will continue to do this. I know I have been doing it less this month compared to September, but I will update it soon.
> 
> Next up, the Saints have a bone to pick with the Deckers' mercenaries and enforcers. Stay tuned.


	38. Recovery and Relapse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm back. Did you guys miss me? I know I had not worked on this lately. I felt that I needed a break from this. I had been going through some personal stuff lately. I had also started working on novelizations of the first two games with my own spin on some things. Anyway, here is a new chapter. Enjoy!

Vince and Johnny were brought back to the Saints HQ. Ever since they returned to the penthouse, things had been quiet, at least not with STAG trying to go after them in their aircraft, or even STAG soldiers strolling around on foot or in their N-Forcers. But after getting shot like that, maybe it was necessary to take it easy.

Shaundi walked Vince to his room, while Johnny went and sat on a couch like what he went through was no big deal. Shaundi closed the door.

"Sit down," Shaundi said to Vince and guided him right to the bed. "Take off that jacket and shirt. I need to look at that shot you took."

"I'm fine, Shaundi, you don't have to worry," Vince said. "Besides, aren't you always saying that we should go in with guns blazing?"

"First off, Vince, I know that ever since you and Johnny helped me shoot better, I do admit that I got a little more trigger-happy," Shaundi said. "Second, I know how crazy you can be, but after Pierce told me about those shots you two took, you and Johnny are lucky to still be going."

"Hey, Gat acted like it was no big deal, even though he was as fucked up as I was," Vince said. "We were both wearing vests, you know."

"Yeah? But Pierce told me how badly hurt you were," Shaundi said. "I know that I have my own methods, but after hearing that you were shot by a rifle, it made me more concerned before."

"I'm a little surprised, Shaundi," Vince said.

"Surprised about what?" Shaundi said.

"Ever since we arrived in Steelport, you seemed to want to just gun down the Syndicate like it's easy," Vince said. "I know that you care about your friends and fellow gang members, but it seems like I have been seeing a different side of you lately, except earlier when you lost your shit at the sight of Luz."

Shaundi let out a mild glare the moment she heard that name and gritted her teeth. A sound came out of her mouth, like a quiet growl.

"Oh, come on, don't try to change the subject," Shaundi said. "Come on, I need to look at you again. So please, let me see how bad that gunshot was. And why are you dressed like a Decker?"

Vince proceeded to unzip the jacket and took it off, along with the T-shirt he had on under it, revealing his bare torso. Shaundi may have liked the sight of Vince's pectorals and abs, her eyes widened in a more concerned fashion as she looked closely at Vince's chest.

"Shit, what kind of bullet shot you?" Shaundi said.

"It felt like 5.56mm or 7.62mm," Vince said. "Nothing I haven't gone through."

"I know you have been shot before, but this looks like something that a pro used," Shaundi said. "It seems like a sniper to me, and they don't fuck around and this looks like it came from a rifle of that caliber."

Shaundi sniffled a bit. "Man, you are so lucky."

"Will you stop? I'm fine," Vince said. "I'm surprised you're feeling this way right now."

"I'm feeling this way, because I care about you," Shaundi said.

"I care about you, too," Vince said, putting his right hand on her left shoulder.

"No, you don't get it," Shaundi said. "I mean…"

Shaundi paused for a bit and sniffled a bit and put her head down a bit and also her right hand against her eyes. Vince took a closer look at her. It wasn't hard for him to see what she was feeling.

"Just tell me," Vince said.

"I think I'm falling for you," Shaundi said.

Vince looked at her dead in the eye. Moist, her eyes were, there was no denying it, no way of hiding it.

"Oh," Vince said and turned away a bit.

"I just want to know," Shaundi said. "Why are you so hesitant in giving this a try? I know you like me. I like you, too, maybe even more than that. But at the same time, you don't seem ready for anything like this, even though I know you want me for more than just my body. I'm not sure if I believe you when you said that it's not the right time. So tell me what it is."

Silence plagued the air, at least from where Vince was sitting. In that very moment, he started to remember being put in a trunk with a woman he liked and the two getting shot before the car being pushed into the water. Sure, he kind of dated another girl around that same time, but he liked this girl in particular. Although Shaundi was familiar with a woman named Lin in the Saints before she joined, but she never knew the extent of Vince's relationship with her. She had heard the story, as well as that he had a connection with her, but at what degree was what she wondered, especially with how hesitant she was.

"I will tell you soon, but not right now," Vince said. "But I didn't lie when I said that I'm not ready for anything like this right now. As for anything else, I was dressed like a Decker because Kinzie told me about some moles in our organization provided some info to the Deckers. So she had an outfit for me to wear to trap them."

"Who shot you and Johnny?" Shaundi said.

"We don't know," Vince said. "It just came out of nowhere. We don't think it was any of the Syndicate or even STAG. This person seemed like they were targeting both of us."

"You mean this was a professional hit?" Shaundi said.

"Well, Pierce and the others would have been shot as well," Vince said.

"But wait, who could be gunning for you two?" Shaundi said.

"Who _isn't_ gunning for us?" Vince said.

Shaundi sighed. "That's not what I meant. If this was a professional hit, then someone must have specifically been targeting you two."

"Well, whoever it was, it has to be someone that Johnny and I know from way back or what," Vince said. "Maybe not the shooter, but the person who hired the shooter. But I don't know who it could be."

Shaundi went ahead and sat right next to Vince. She was really close to him and guided her hand right to his face and then turned his head so that he could face her.

"You need to give yourself a rest a bit," Shaundi said. "If you and Johnny are targets, that person could still be out there and the moment you two walk out, you might be dead."

"I'm not afraid to die," Vince said.

"I know, but I can't lose you, not like that," Shaundi said. "You will tell me why you are so reluctant in pursuing something with me. We like each other, you know that, but I know you're hiding something from me. I know it's not that bitch Luz. It's definitely something else. You need to take a nap or something. I'll be outside. Pierce and I will try to look out for stuff. Okay?"

Vince nodded his head.

"That's good," Shaundi said and proceeded to lean in, giving Vince a nice peck on the lips. Vince proceeded to do the same thing back to her.

Shaundi got up and approached the door and got out of the room. Contrary to what Shaundi suggested, Vince had other ideas. He wanted to take down the Deckers soon, as well as strike against STAG and find out who was behind the hit on him and Johnny. He got out his phone and found the first person he wanted to speak to.

 _"Hello, Boss,"_ Kinzie said.

"Kinzie, just checking in," Vince said. "Tell me the deal. Is it ready yet?"

 _"Just a little more time,"_ Kinzie said. _"I had some of my contacts that you took from the Deckers that one time to try it out."_

"Really?" Vince said. "How did it go for them?"

 _"Let's just say that some handled it well, and some thought it was too much,"_ Kinzie said.

"You couldn't use any of them to handle Miller through cyberspace?" Vince said. "By the way, I went by Planet Saints earlier and those Decker girls weren't there."

 _"I don't know what to tell you,"_ Kinzie said. _"But according to what I saw on here, some person on a hover-bike of some sort was flying through the air."_

"Hold up, what?" Vince said. It all came back now, as something irregular was flying through the air.

"I can't tell you what it was that I saw," Kinzie said. "But from any camera source that I have out in Salander, something happened to a feed that was in that general area."

"So what you're telling me is that you couldn't hack the camera from that area?" Vince said.

 _"I don't have **all** of Steelport with camera feeds, but with that piece of footage, I did manage to find **something** ,"_ Kinzie said. "For only a few seconds, I saw that hover-bike land on a roof, but then my signal was jammed."

"Did you _at least_ see who could have been on the feed?" Vince said.

 _"I saw something,"_ Kinzie said. _"Why? You first mentioned Matt Miller's primary enforcers and then you bring this up."_

"Because Johnny and I got fucking shot!" Vince said. "And it wasn't by the Deckers, either. We were shot by a sniper or some shit. I have a feeling that the two Deckers were ready to make their move until they saw that Johnny and I got dropped."

 _"Hold up, I'm looking at the footage again,"_ Kinzie said. _"Okay, I'm going to send you some footage I saw. I couldn't get everything, but it looked like the feed's signal was jammed for only a few minutes. After the signal came up, the person was gone. I will do my best to identify this person."_

It didn't take long for the video to come to Vince's phone, as he felt the vibration. That was the signal that Kinzie had sent some footage.

"Thanks, Kinzie, I will look at it," Vince said. "And please keep my posted on where I can find those two Decker chicks."

 _"You got it, get better soon,"_ Kinzie said.

The call had ended. Vince immediately opened the message and saw the video. Actually, there were different videos from different angles. One thing he could make out was that this person was a woman, dressed in mostly black but the outfit she wore had some orange on it. From one other video, he noticed a familiar symbol on the hover-bike. He took a closer look. It was orange and looked like a sun. In fact, it looked like the Ultor insignia. The footage also depicted this person throwing a grenade of some sort, causing the signal to jam. She wouldn't be blowing herself up, so this seemed like a different kind of grenade.

 _What the fuck?_ He thought. Could Ultor be after them again? Ever since the Saints started their alliance and jointed with Ultor's media group, it seemed like things were sort of squared away with them, at least to a point. Really, the problems with Ultor mainly started with the Masako team coming after Vince in a bar, where he basically shoved a female bartender behind the counter so that he and the civilian wouldn't be riddled with bullets, but also managed to fight back against them.

 _Could it be? Nah, it couldn't be, or could it?_ So many thoughts flowed through his head in that moment. There was only one person whom he had unfinished business with who was likely still working with Ultor. Could that person be behind the hit? As for the woman assassin, it's nothing he hadn't experienced, but with him and Johnny dropping, it was possible that she got the job done. He was going to find out who that assassin was.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the entertainment area, Johnny sat on the couch watching "The Anna Show," with Benjamin King as a guest, promoting his latest book. This time, he was wearing a gray suit, along with a gray turtleneck sweater, as well as a yellow scarf and yellow dress shoes. On top of that, his head was shaved and he had glasses. Another guest on the show was actor Keith David, who talked about getting into politics.

"Damn, King, you may be out of the game, but you still rocking the VK flags," Johnny said to himself. He looked up and saw that Tony and Lucy walking by.

"Oh, hey, what's up?" Johnny said. "Come on over, I'm watching something."

Johnny turned back around. "Ow!" he yelled.

"Hey, Johnny," Lucy said. "You took a pretty good shot earlier, are you sure you're okay?"

"You kidding me? I've been shot in the leg and stabbed in the gut twice," Johnny said and then moved his body a bit. "Ow!"

"You know, I think you need some ice," Tony said. "Lucy and I will bring some."

"Sure thing," Johnny said.

During that time, Vince had gotten out of the room, dressed in his usual purple gear this time. He looked to be on a mission, as the one person he needed to talk to was Johnny.

"Going somewhere?" a female voice said. Vince froze and looked up and saw Viola and Kiki standing by. The voice was Kiki's.

"Oh, hello, ladies," Vince said. "Just looking for Johnny."

"Johnny is watching TV right now," Viola said.

"Thanks," Vince said as he started walking away, but then stopped once again. "Oh, one other thing, do you two know anything about Matt Miller's two top enforcers, Kirsten and Grace?"

"Just that those two girls don't fuck around when handling their shit," Viola said.

"I'm sure that with all the stuff you had gone through with the Deckers, you saw some girls on skates and some hammer, right?" Kiki said. "Well these two taught the others what they know. Like Viola and I had told you before, they mostly control the dirty work and call the shots for the most part of the Deckers, while Matt handles the dirty work in cyberspace and the final stuff.

Vince was at a loss. Although he knew that these two ladies were with the Syndicate and were familiar with the other gangs, but they seemed to be on it with everything that had been happening with the Deckers lately.

"I have seen some of Matt's other crew members, they looked really young, but these ladies don't seem that young," Vince said.

"Matt's main crew is just friends of his from England," Viola said. "So he is the leader or boss of them, but he doesn't get involved in the heavy work. He is mainly on the same level of Phillipe and Killbane because Phillipe didn't know how to operate his smartphone."

"Really," Vince said like he wanted to laugh. "How do I find these ladies?"

"You don't," Kiki said.

"They find you," Viola said. "They're pretty high-tech savvy themselves, like working with surveillance and stuff. I've seen them take down military and police. They're quick on those skates."

"I've seen those other ladies with the skates," Vince said.

"Yes, but these ladies are the originals and the real deal," Kiki said. "I'd watch out if I were you."

"I can handle them," Vince said.

"We're coming with you," Viola said.

"Oh no, this is my thing," Vince said.

Kiki added, "We want to make the Syndicate pay. You'll need Viola and I in case those two bring out more Decker mercenaries."

"Okay, both of you are in," Vince said.

Vince led the twins over to the entertainment room while Johnny was watching TV. On the screen, it was now on Keith David talking about his aspirations for a political career.

"Johnny, are you up for a little murdering?" Vince said.

"Shit, always, usually depends, why?" Johnny said.

"Viola and Kiki told me about some Decker enforcers that need to be taken out," Vince said. "How are you feeling?"

"Back is still a bit fucked up, but remember, we were both wearing vests," Johnny said. "I can handle myself out there."

"Okay, let's get going," Vince said.

Vince, Johnny, and the DeWynter twins were now set to put more of a hurt on the Deckers. They all went to the armory to find some weapons to use.

Shaundi walked into the main area and through her peripherals, she saw the quartet enter the elevator.

"Hey, what the hell are you guys doing?!" Shaundi said.

"We're about to take care of some business," Johnny said.

"We'll be back," Vince said.

"But you two should…," Shaundi said.

The elevator door closed. They were off. A glare grew on Shaundi's face. Why did Vince not listen to her? But then again, shouldn't she know him by now? Still, she thought it wasn't a smart move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was it. This was my comeback. I will continue to do this. The break was necessary. I did a lot and was a bit fatigued by doing this a lot and also personal stuff. But I have more ideas for this, along with my novelizations of the first two games.
> 
> Also, I had a hard time deciding the footage for Cypher and what she would use to jam the signal. I thought of her having a jammer gadget, kind of like how in the first Mercenaries game that the North Korean forces had signal jammers. But then I thought about chaff grenades, which was a Metal Gear reference and decided to go with that instead.
> 
> Oh, and as for the mention of SR2 with the lady bartender, I never liked that part when the Boss would just knock her out and use her as a human shield like that. So I decided to deviate it a bit.
> 
> Next up, the Saints put more of a hurt on the Deckers. Stay tuned.


	39. The Hunt and the Hunted

It had not been long. Vince took the Criminal that was parked in the garage at the very bottom of the Saints HQ. He, Johnny, and the DeWynter sisters went on a hunt to see if they could try to find the whereabouts of the Deckers' top enforcers. Vince knew he had to settle something with Matt Miller, after the helicopter crash, as well as taking all of the money from the Saints' account.

But from what he had been told and had also seen, he saw that Matt was only a kid. He was still going to take him on, but all of the wet work was on two ladies and their fellow mercenaries.

The four went out to Stanfield to search for any Deckers crawling around. While they could buy some more of their property, it would seem that there were some other areas to scope out. Johnny rode shotgun, while the twins were in the backseat.

"Okay, Viola, Kiki, tell me this," Vince said. "What is the best way to get these two enforcers to come out?"

"I couldn't tell you," Viola said. "They have their own methods of handling stuff."

"We may have worked with the Deckers," Kiki said. "But when it came to actual combat, they always had to rely on cyber stuff and surveillance. I know that you guys took out any operations from the Morningstar, but maybe the best way is to try to look into taking over their operations."

"You know something, Boss," Johnny said. "I have seen some of those guys guarding areas like factories and shit. I was thinking maybe we can shoot some of them and then have those bitches try to come out."

"I would think the same thing, except one thing," Vince said and picked up his phone. "I need to call someone first."

There was one person he needed to contact. Meanwhile, Johnny turned around to face the sisters.

"So tell me something, do you know anything about those big motherfuckers with those wrestler masks?" Johnny said. "I feel like I'm ready to take on those fuckers very soon."

Viola and Kiki looked at each other, puzzled. The confidence in Johnny was intriguing, but was he ready to take them on yet?

"If there is one thing you need to know about those Luchadores," Viola said. "Killbane relies heavily on big guns and brute force. I know you're proficient with a gun, Johnny, but…"

Vince cut in, "Don't forget that you were pinned down by those fools, especially those guys with those big-ass grenade launchers."

The call went through, as the look on Johnny's face grew with more of a concerned emotion. Although he wasn't afraid to stare death in the eye, it was evident that what happened that night at Angel's Gym that he could have been killed. Those grenade launchers were no joke.

"But we know some other ways to take them on," Kiki said.

"Everyone, shut up," Vince said and faced forward as he was ready to talk in his earpiece. "Kinzie, I got to ask you something. Can you tell me where I can find more of the Deckers' operations? I know I took some down already, but I need to find a way to lure out Matt Miller's top enforcers."

 _"Well, I can't think of a way, but I'll find it,"_ Kinzie said. _"We're on the verge of taking down the Deckers, or at least Matt Miller. Your best bet would be to at least to take down more of their operations. Kirsten and Grace have their mercenaries guarding some of them like fortresses. Also, Matt and his two top specialists have a bit more surveillance over Steelport than I do."_

"When has that ever stopped me?" Vince said. "Send me some coordinates on where to find some of these operations. At least ones I haven't taken down."

 _"Let me see if I can…what the…? Damn!"_ Kinzie said.

"What's wrong?" Vince said.

 _"Someone is messing up my feed,"_ Kinzie said. _"I found some in Brickston. Go check out those areas first. Damn, I need to check the other computer first. Go!"_

The call ended. Vince put the car in drive.

"What happened?" Viola said.

"I think the Deckers are fucking with her shit again," Vince said. "She told me to check out some areas in Brickston. We got shit to do."

The purple truck went on its way. They were about to drive from Burns Hill to Brickston. However, unbeknownst to them, a gray armored vehicle started to move as the Criminal got far from them.

* * *

Once they got out to Brickston. They saw that this area consisted of residential homes, not much different from Espina out in New Colvin. The Criminal parked in front of a house. The quartet exited the truck and saw Deckers mercenaries standing around patrolling the area.

"Follow my lead," Vince said.

Vince led Johnny, Viola, and Kiki slowly. All four of them were well-armed.

"On three," Vince said. "One, two…"

The four drew their weapons. Vince took a deep breath, ready to aim.

"Three!" he yelled.

ZAP! ZAP! ZAP! Then a rapid fire zapping sound occurred.

"What the fuck?!" Vince said. They all looked ahead of them. Several armored soldiers took down a few of the mercenaries. The rapid fire delivery of lasers came from close by, from a vehicle. That could only mean one thing.

"Shit, where the fuck did STAG come from?" Kiki said.

"That doesn't matter," Johnny said. "Even since I dealt with those assholes, I've been waiting to show them what I'm made of."

Johnny quickly went to a compartment in the truck and got some grenades and loaded one into his K-8 Krukov.

"Always come prepared," Johnny said.

Vince got out his AR-55, while the twins had their .45 Shepherds and AR-55s as well.

All hell broke loose. The four hid behind the truck for cover. Johnny quickly popped out and ran right towards the gunfight.

"Hey, motherfuckers!" Johnny said, everyone stopped shooting and turned around. "Mind if I crash the party?"

Johnny quickly fired a grenade right at the Deckers and STAG soldiers that were at the epicenter of the chaos. BOOM! Bodies flew. Deckers, STAG soldiers, the blast set them off. Many inhabitants of the nearby homes peeked through the windows. Some of them even opened the front doors to see what was going on outside and immediately closed the doors. Some holes were even burned on the walls of the houses from the lasers.

Vince and the twins ran right to the N-Forcer with a STAG soldier firing the laser turret. The twins ran and leaned near another N-Forcer and slid to peer out of cover and fired multiple shots at any Decker mercenary or STAG soldier, even though many examples of the latter were armored. Some of them dropped when they fired at the facial covers of their helmets.

Johnny and Vince kept going to work on anybody. They even reloaded ammo when necessary. However, many reinforcements from the Deckers and STAG crawled out of the woodwork. Solars, Kayaks, more N-Forcers, if that wasn't bad enough, Vince looked up and saw something in the air.

"Oh, fuck us all!" Vince said.

"What?" Johnny said. Vince tapped him on the shoulder and pointed upward, causing the twins to do the same thing.

"Holy shit!" Viola said.

A STAG VTOL Condor flew through the air. While this wasn't as bad as the F-69 fighter jet, this definitely had firepower that would tear everyone apart. Not just the fellow STAG soldiers, the four Saints, or even the Deckers, but also people inside the homes and nearby buildings.

"Johnny, hold these assholes off," Vince said.

"No problem," Johnny said and loaded another grenade into his K-8.

"Viola, Kiki, look out for that fucking plane," Vince said. "I have a plan."

The twins followed Vince to the truck and he looked through the compartment behind the backseat. Viola and Kiki looked up and looked around. The Deckers had their other specialists taking out STAG soldiers with their shock hammers.

"Man, they really learned from the best," Viola said.

"They're not _that_ good," Kiki said.

Before the twins could open fire, Vince pulled something out. Shock grew over their faces. Vince pulled out an Annihilator RPG. He even got a special upgrade for it.

"Watch out, ladies," Vince said as he looked through scope upward. The target locked on. He quickly fired a rocket at the Condor.

BOOM! Suddenly everything went full stop and looked up. The Condor was up in flames and landed on a Kayak and N-Forcer in the middle of an intersection. Good thing it didn't land on a house.

"This shit's going to escalate further," Vince said. "Let's get the fuck out of here."

He led Johnny and the twins to the Criminal. Once they got in, Vince turned the key in the ignition and quickly the set the car to drive.

"Where are we going?" Kiki said.

"There's a safe place not far from here," Vince said.

There were only two options – Derek's place or Kinzie's place. One was closer, however. Vince stepped on the gas and swerved the truck in different directions. While this wasn't as fast as a Raycaster or even his Phoenix or Bootlegger, it was still able to handle well and to also avoid any other attacks from the Syndicate and STAG.

"What the hell was that all about?" Viola said.

"I don't know, but it seems like STAG is not just on us," Vince said.

"Man, I got to start using the shit they use," Johnny said. "I saw their shotguns. That's some killer shit."

It didn't take long until the truck pulled up in front of the apartment building. The sisters looked behind to ensure that STAG or the Deckers didn't follow them.

"We're clear," Kiki said. "What is this place?"

"Somewhere we need to hide out before the heat dies down," Vince said. "Come on, let's go inside."

The quartet ran towards the front door. They quickly got inside. However, unbeknownst to them, a STAG soldier with some orange on the armored uniform, looked through a pair of binoculars. He opened the face shield. It was a male, who looked to be in his mid-30s. He got out a transceiver of some sort.

* * *

**STAG PR CENTER**

Inside the boardroom, Cyrus and Kia sat around and looked at some files on a computer.

"Did you find anything?" Cyrus said as he walked up to her.

"Not a lot yet, I found some stuff on the Saints, but I haven't come up with a plan to take them down," Kia said. "This whole thing is a mess. I know we have the Syndicate to worry about as well, but Senator Hughes has assured us that the Saints have been causing a lot of problems here in Steelport."

"I told Hughes to authorize the Daedalus," Cyrus said. "We could have taken down the Syndicate as well as the Saints, and Steelport wouldn't have all of these problems."

RING! RING! RING!

"Hold on, Kia," Cyrus said and answered his transceiver. "This is Temple. Steiner, you got something? I see. No, we need to wait until all of the heat died down in Brickston before we make the move. Listen, you and some of the other lieutenants can scope out other areas. All of these gangs won't stand a chance. Wait, did you say they blew up one of the Condors?"

Kia looked up at him like she knew something was wrong. As calm as Cyrus was, it didn't seem genuine. It looked as if he wanted to explode in anger from it.

"Well, until we know the whereabouts of Birk, then we can make our move," Cyrus said. "It won't be long until we make the move out in Brickston to their hideout. Thanks, Sergeant."

Cyrus got off the transceiver.

"Permission to speak, sir?" Kia said.

"Granted," Cyrus said.

"Why do you think we should wait to make our move?" Kia said. "If you have a clue as to where the leader of the Saints is, then shouldn't we go and apprehend him?"

Cyrus turned to face Kia. "With all due respect, this guy means business. I was told that he took down one of our air units with an RPG. This kind of gang-member has a lot of firepower that may take a lot more than just our ground units to apprehend him. We will need a lot of support to take him down. Besides, Sgt. Steiner informed me that their hideout is in Brickston. So we will send some people to stake out the area."

"Understood, sir," Kia said.

"Good," Cyrus said.

* * *

**ELSEWHERE…**

Matt Miller was in his personal command center looking at his stuff on his computer system. Out of nowhere, his phone rang. He quickly looked at the screen, but it wasn't someone who he had hoped to hear from. He picked up, however.

"Hello, Kirsten," Matt said. "No, I've been doing everything I could to deal with the STAG problem, whether it's in Stanfield, Carver Island, Downtown, or even New Colvin. I have tried to mess with their systems. I…"

Matt sat their in silence. Looks of shock and concern grew on his face. It was like his top enforcer did not mess around with what she had to say.

"I understand that you and Grace have been trying to look at any location where the Saints control, but that is usually your responsibility," Matt said. "No, I totally get that, madam. Besides, you and Grace only handle the wet work. Me friends and I usually just handle the hacking. You know that I have a problem with violence."

Matt sat there quietly as he let the other person talk.

Matt said, "Well, Mr. Loren has a lot of respect for me as an equal because of my genius expertise, as does Killbane. I know that you and Grace call the shots, and you have a high enough ranking in our organization that any of the areas we run, you have a say in some of the leaders for that area. Well, I'm not sure what you want me to do. I have a problem of my own regarding the Saints."

Matt sat there in silence some more.

"Listen, you handle your stuff with the Saints, dear," Matt said. "I will see about finally taking down Kensington and taking over the cyber-world. Talk to you soon, love. Cheers."

After the call ended, Matt let out a big sigh. Could things have escalated any further? Matt wondered why he was involved in this line of work to begin with. Maybe it was time to go back home to England and rethink his choices in life.

But it wasn't the time yet. He still had his own score to settle.

* * *

**BRICKSTON**

It had been an hour or two since the carnage that occurred not far from there. The twins stood around. Johnny looked at the weaponry that was lying around. Vince sat on the couch and watched some TV, as a news report came on with Tammy Tolliver talking about what happened earlier that day.

RING! RING! RING! Vince's phone rang. He saw that it was Kinzie who called him.

"Kinzie, what's up?" Vince said.

 _"Boss, I want you to know that the system is ready,"_ Kinzie said.

"Come again?" Vince said.

 _"It's time, Boss, time to put an end to Matt Miller and his stupid games,"_ Kinzie said. _"Come by when you're ready."_

"I will, tomorrow for sure," Vince said. "I'm definitely ready."

He hung up.

"What was that about?" Viola said.

"Kinzie called to tell me that her system is ready," Vince said. "It's time to take down Miller."

"Wait, Kinzie has set up something for you to take on Matt?" Kiki said.

"I don't understand her nerd talk, but she said something about having me go into the Decker use-net," Vince said. "She set up a VR system with a supercomputer and that high-tech chair."

The twins looked at each other.

"Are you talking about that big chair that Matt had at the reactors?" Kiki said.

"Yeah, why?" Vince said. "Matt is a computer nerd, right?"

"Yeah, but he also knows how to fuck with the cyber-world," Viola said. "I don't know much about the cyber-world, but there is a reason he is up there with Phillipe and Killbane. I was there when Phillipe had him wipe out your account. All I can tell you is you better be ready. Kinzie may know what she is doing, but there is also a reason Matt fucked with her career as a fed."

"I'm ready for anything, honey," Vince said with so much confidence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for this one. I decided to do things a bit differently. Initially I was going to have the Saints take down the Deckers' top enforcers, but I decided to have that happen after the next one.
> 
> Next up, a journey through cyberspace. This will be tricky for me to write, but I will manage. Stay tuned.


	40. http://deckers.die

It was time. Kinzie had the system ready for Vince to make their presence known in the Decker use-net. Kinzie and Vince were certain that Matt Miller would likely interfere in their plans, but they were ready.

Vince and Pierce were at Kinzie's warehouse. They both went to the area where Kinzie had her special setup with the supercomputer that the Saints stole from STAG, as well as the NEMO chair that they stole from the Deckers. Pierce was told to look at some monitors to see anything on the feed while Kinzie would handle the technical work, and of course, Vince had to be front and center in virtual reality.

"Okay, Boss, are you ready?" Kinzie said.

"Sure," Vince said with a touch of sarcasm, unsure of what he was about to get himself into.

Vince went into the chair and sat in it in a relaxed position. Pierce stood before Vince while Kinzie made some finishing touches on the setup for their special mission.

"You ready to fuck things up in virtual reality?" Pierce said.

"It's safer than being shot at," Vince said.

"You can survive a gunshot," Kinzie said as she raised her arm to grab onto something above that was connected to the chair. "But if your mind takes too much shock from this chair, you'll go brain-dead." Kinzie then lowers the contraption which was then lined up with Vince's face.

"Great plan, Kinzie," Vince said with the same touch of sarcasm as before.

"I know, you ready?" Kinzie said, walking towards another computer monitor that was on the side of the chair.

Vince gave her a thumb up. "Let's do it."

Kinzie started setting up the program while Vince sat there with a strange glow coming onto his face from that thing in front of him. It was likely similar to what people use when going into the virtual world with a helmet, except this chair didn't seem like it had a helmet. Vince was going into cyberspace.

Vince was now in. He felt like he was no longer on Earth, so to speak. This type of place reminded him of a place like the movie, "Tron," with the grounds looking like circuit boards, different colored neon glowing, and what stood out was something looking similar to a castle farther up from his sight, along with virtual monuments and statues. What exactly was the meaning? He knew he was now in a different world. Not just because of what he was seeing through his eyes, but also because this was something he had never experienced before. Oddly enough, Vince even saw what his avatar looked like from his field of vision, as something he did not expect.

 _"All right, you should be seeing a visual representation of the Decker use-net now,"_ Kinzie said through a communicator on the machine.

"You know what I see, Kinzie?" Vince said. "I'm a fucking toilet, that's what."

 _"Oops, sorry about that, let me load up another,"_ Kinzie said.

"I thought you know what you were doing," Vince said.

 _"I haven't finished your avatar yet,"_ Kinzie said. _"That one's just temporary."_

"I don't have arms," Vince said.

 _"Just start moving through the data,"_ Kinzie said. _"I'll sort it out soon."_

Vince had no choice but to start moving. Even though his avatar wasn't what he expected to be, there was something oddly intriguing about this world he was seeing. If this was the Decker use-net, then Matt probably had some kind of vision when it came to building this world. As he was walking through the corridor of the data world, the avatar changed into something even more odd – a blowup doll.

"This isn't much better, are you trying to tell me something, Kinzie?" Vince said.

 _"Quit complaining, I'm doing my best,"_ Kinzie said.

Vince continued to walk through the data. At least he had arms despite looking like a sex doll. Right as he walked into a gateway, his avatar changed yet again, looking like a cyber avatar with a glow and an arm cannon.

"Now _this_ I can work with," Vince said and saw some weird enemy avatars coming up in front of him. He blasted them with the cannon.

 _"Good, because Matt sniffed me out,"_ Kinzie said.

 ** _"This is my world to shape as I see fit, not yours."_** A British-accented voice had entered the fold. It had to have been Matt, except his voice now sounded more distorted, making him sound deeper and scarier.

 _"All right, looks like Matt doesn't want you poking around here,"_ Kinzie said. _"You'll have to work your way through his defenses. Let's take out the firewall first."_

"Firewall? What is it and how I will find it?" Vince said.

 _"It blocks us from accessing the Deckers' data,"_ Kinzie said. _"You'll know it when you see it."_

It was now time to put that cannon to use. Many enemies popped out of nowhere, some wielding virtual firearms and swords, like any other Decker mercenaries that he had dealt with in the real world. Given the way this world looked and felt, Vince felt like he was in a video game. It was almost like when he went through that game with the avatar on the motorcycle, except he felt like he was actually in this world. He started to take a closer look at some of the monuments that were around. They looked like gravestone, even also looked like Celtic crosses. What exactly was Matt's vision in designing the use-net? None of it mattered, all Vince was focused was finding the firewall, even if he had to take down some virtual enemies in the process and climbing up the hills to get there.

"Kinzie, I have a question, can I die here?" Vince said.

 _"Not sure, why do you ask?"_ Kinzie said.

"Well, these guys I have been fighting have been firing shots and some of them feel real," Vince said.

 _"Matt probably has some kind of special program that could probably mess up the system and maybe cause you to go to shock,"_ Kinzie said. _"But you're not really getting shot, so you should be fine."_

"Good to know, all I need to do is get through them," Vince said.

Vince kept on hitting any enemies with everything he had. This was a totally new experience for him, but nonetheless, he had to see if he could survive this. Vince continued to move through the data. The moment he walked up another hill, he entered through another area, ready to continue getting to the firewall.

 _ **"In my world, the rules can change,"**_ Matt said.

Vince continued to move quickly, until just now. Just before, he moved at a normal speed, but now he had slowed down dramatically.

"What the hell's going on?" Vince said.

 _"He's altering the rules of reality there,"_ Kinzie said. _"You'll just have to deal."_

It didn't take long for Vince to start moving like normal, but he had to prepare himself for any further disruptions. With more enemies popping out, including ones moving like any of those girls he had dealt with on the skates before, he had to try with all of his might to take them down. To him, he had just to pretend he was in a video game, which was really what it felt like in that very moment. It wasn't long until he reached an open area, as more enemies kept popping up. Vince blasted them with the cannon left and right.

 _Just think of this like a video game._ Vince thought. That was one thing he had to keep repeating to himself. This was a not a case of fighting against rival gang members when he really could die, unless Matt had something up his sleeve to maybe fry his brain. In either case, a bright and clear orange wall was in front of him. It had to be it. He went right to it.

But it wasn't what he expected. Through his field of vision, some text came up, with three choices.

 _"Oh, I love these!"_ Kinzie said.

"I got to read this shit?" Vince said. "Come on, Kinzie, how do I get out?"

 _"And ruin it for you? No way, you got to figure this out on your own,"_ Kinzie said.

"Thanks, Kinzie," Vince sarcastically replied.

In an unexpected turn of events, Vince found himself having to take part in some weird text quiz. It wasn't something he would have wanted to do, but in order to get closer, he had no choice. The only thing he could do was find the most logical answer to advance. He managed to advance out of sheer luck, except for one that had to do with a unicorn. That was the one time he got the question wrong and went through the quiz again, same answers as before, but had to use a different answer for the final question. He was now able to advance and get back into the adventure. The firewall was collapsing. The orange glow was disintegrating and the rest of the virtual world started looking clearer than before.

 ** _"I'm not going to be beaten by some noob you dragged into my world, Kensington,"_** Matt said.

 _"Okay, we're back in business,"_ Kinzie said. _"Now let's take out Matt's anti-virus next."_

"Okay, let's do this," Vince said. Only to sense a strange feeling occur as he noticed that his field of vision was now lower. He saw his avatar as he noticed he was made of porcelain and was shaped like a bowl of some sort.

"Kinzie, why am I a toilet again?" Vince said.

 _"But I didn't…,"_ Kinzie said.

 _ **"I think this is more fitting,"**_ Matt said. **_"Wouldn't you agree?"_**

There was one redeeming quality, however – Vince still had his cannon.

 _"Give me some time, I'll fix it,"_ Kinzie said.

"Hey, I still have my cannon," Vince said.

Vince knew he had to follow the some process as before. He had to walk down the paths and blast anything that got in his way. Whether they popped up in front of him or shot at him from platforms, it was a "do or die" situation. Though in some ways, he thought was kind of funny that he was doing this while looking like a toilet. It wasn't long until he came across an area that looked like a graveyard of some sort, with tombstones looking like Celtic crosses, as well as Christian crosses.

Seriously, what is the symbolism here? Vince thought. He had seen the same thing here before. This almost felt like there was a theme to it. In that same moment, he reverted back to his main avatar as more enemies kept coming out.

"Is something wrong with the connection?" Vince said.

 _"He's bombarding us with data,"_ Kinzie said. _"I'll try blocking it."_

Vince had to hold off any enemies who fired at him to buy Kinzie some time.

 _ **"Is this the best you can do, Agent Kensington? BE GONE!"**_ Matt said.

All of the enemies were taken care of, even though he was certain that they weren't actual representations of real people.

 _"Okay, the anti-virus is almost taken care of,"_ Kinzie said. _"You'll need to destroy the last bit of code."_

Suddenly, Vince's field of vision noticed that he was inside what looked like a virtual tank. He even asked Kinzie why he was in it, to which she said for him to just go with it. It felt even more bizarre to him as he was in a pixelated tank, as well as a pixelated world, and saw another tank that looked like the tanks from that one game he played. If he was in a tank and there was another tank, there was only one thing he can do about that. He saw the enemy tank moving at a fast speed in that little arena, trying to blast him. It was not hard to figure out that like in video games of that nature, he just had to blast the tank at the right time, and he did. He gave that tank all of his might until that tank finally blew up.

Back to business, and once again, his avatar was tampered with, as he looked like a blowup doll once again.

"Kinzie!" Vince said.

 _"I see it, I see it,"_ Kinzie said.

 _ **"Pathetic,"**_ Matt said.

"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy kicking that kid's ass," Vince said.

On the plus side, he still had his cannon and had arms and legs. Not like he didn't move any differently as a toilet, but even as a blowup doll, it was better than that. Same process as before, with any enemy coming at him, he blasted. However, from a distance, another orange glow appeared.

"Kinzie, I see one more wall up ahead," Vince said.

 _"It's his internet security protocols, they're blocking access into the main…,"_ Kinzie said.

"Yeah, whatever you say," Vince said.

After taking down various enemies that got in his way, Vince made his way up another hill until an open space, with platforms shaped like stars and enemies appearing on them, as well as more coming out. He reverted back to his regular avatar. He knew what he had to do. He tried to go forth any enemies, but found himself moving backwards as he tried to walk forward. He tried to walk backwards, only to see that he moved forward. It went on and off a few times, but when he found his movement off, he had to go with the opposite direction.

"Miller doesn't know when to quit," Vince said.

 _"Take this out and we can go for Matt himself,"_ Kinzie said.

This part of the virtual world started to make Vince wonder even more about the theme and symbolism of this.

 _ **"You like the place? It's modeled after the Nyte Blayde season 3 episode, 'Rise of the Cyprian Order,'"**_ Matt said. **_"Here is where The Cardinal lays his plan for a better…"_**

"Wait, you modeled this shit off of Nyte Blayde?" Vince said.

 _ **"It's an allegory for man's inhumanity to man,"**_ Matt said.

"No, it's a shitty vampire show," Vince said.

 _ **"I don't expect a chuckle-fuck like you to appreciate good writing,"**_ Matt said.

Rather than feel insulted, Vince started to chuckle at that response. So now the symbolism made a lot of sense. There had to be an explanation for all of the gravestones on the layouts and stuff. It was clear that this Miller kid was a huge fan of that show, which probably explained why the Deckers were at the STAG PR Center when he and Viola kidnapped Josh Birk. Nonetheless, he kept firing his cannon at any enemy he saw, until his field of vision started to break down a bit.

 _"What's going on?"_ Kinzie said as she looked at the screen. _"Pierce!"_

 _"Hey, I see the same thing,"_ Pierce said. _"Wait, something seems off about this."_

The two fellow Saints looked at their monitors and saw that there was something wrong with this. While the computer system may have appeared to be crashing, some of the coding had some kind of weird message, with it saying "Now the real game begins" at the bottom of the screen. All the while Matt did some evil, yet cocky laugh.

 _"Now don't panic, we can work this out,"_ Kinzie said.

"You're not really _good_ at comforting people, are you?" Vince said.

 _"Just give me a sec,_ " Kinzie said. _"It looks like Matt is messing with us."_

After a minute or so, the screen was back up.

 _"Okay, you're good to go,"_ Kinzie said.

Back to action, as Vince was as his regular avatar. Right before his very eyes, he saw what looked like a cathedral.

 _ **"WHY AREN'T YOU DYING?!"**_ Matt said.

 _"He's scared,"_ Kinzie said. _"Go to the cathedral and finish him off!"_

"You mean where those giant tubes are feeding into?" Vince said. "That can't be a trap or anything."

 _"Must be his direct feed into the world, where all his information flows through,"_ Kinzie said. _"Yeah, that's definitely a trap."_

"Again with the comforting skills," Vince said.

Vince ran up the ramp to get into the cathedral. Even while in cyberspace, an odd sensation went through his veins. With Matt asking why Vince wasn't dying, he started to wonder if he really could die here. As wondered before, it was possible that he could die depending if he would go brain-dead like Kinzie warned him before. But as a risk-taker, he was up for the challenge. He finally got up there. There was a lot more open space before, almost like this was the arena for the final encounter. Matt laughed like a maniac like before.

"Easy to laugh when you're hiding like a pussy," Vince said. "Come on out!"

 _ **"Gladly,"**_ Matt said.

Vince looked and saw something dropping towards him. He swiftly jumped and dove out of the way. As he lied there, he looked up and saw a new avatar, much bigger than him with wings and a sword, and looked like some kind of medieval or fantasy dragon knight sort of thing.

"What the fuck?" Vince said. This figure standing before him was much bigger. It was as if Matt was ready for this encounter.

 _ **"Don't you get it? I'm God here,"**_ Matt said.

"That's just fine," Vince said. "In the real world, you're just a bitch with a keyboard."

 _ **"Well, we're not in the real world now,"**_ Matt said. _**"Here, you cannot beat me."**_

"We'll see about that," Vince said.

Kinzie cut in, _"All right, just…don't die until I figure out to copy his avatar."_

Vince fired the shots from his cannon as Matt started ascending into the air. He even held on to fire an even more powerful shot, except Matt was not fazed by his shots.

 _ **"You expect to defeat me with that thing?"**_ Matt said.

 _"Hold on, he depowered your weapon,"_ Kinzie said. _"I'm fixing it now."_

All Vince could do is try to evade any attack that Matt threw at him. With Matt above him, he could try to zoom his way down and crush him. Even some blasts only a few feet away could take Vince down. It didn't help that Matt even messed with his avatar a bit, as Vince felt everything around him had gotten bigger.

 _ **"This is your true self – small and insignificant,"** _Matt said.

 _"Don't worry, he's not bigger, you're just smaller,"_ Kinzie said.

"Just great," Vince said.

 _ **"Now the world will look down on you,"**_ Matt said. _**"I will crush you like an ant. I'll kill you one way or another."**_

Vince ran around until his surroundings got smaller, more normal-looking like before. He turned towards Matt and charged his cannon to let out a powerful blast. It was so powerful, Matt's avatar got on its knee, and Vince's avatar ran right up the right arm.

 ** _"What are you doing? Get down!"_** Matt said.

Vince ran up to the top of Matt's avatar, grabbing onto the antennas that connected to the wings and emitting a lot of power with a mysterious glow and force and pulled them off.

 _ **"Coward! You can't win!"** _Matt said.

The wings were broken off. All that was left was Matt, except his avatar still towered over Vince's avatar. Vince fired his cannon. He had the chance and he took it. Except now Matt used his own powerful projectiles and fired three at Vince, which he dodged. But like before, Matt had tricks of his own. Vince once again slowed down.

 _ **"Look at you trying to move, amusing,"**_ Matt said. He walked towards Vince, with his cannon drawn, ready to fire. Vince tried to fire, but he couldn't emit the projectiles fast enough. It left him wide open. Matt brandished his sword and swung like in a slashing motion.

"ARRGGH!" Vince yelled, falling backwards. He put his hand on his midsection. Even in the virtual world, he felt a bit of pain even from that sword. It didn't feel too sharp, nor did he feel any blood emitting from his stomach, so it couldn't happen in the real world.

 _"Start those dodges early while you're slowed,"_ Kinzie said.

Vince started moving a bit faster than before. He looked up and saw Matt's avatar positioned a certain way, as a weird substance was seen around the mouth area.

"Oh shit," Vince said and quickly ran and dodged as Matt started breathing fire towards him. He ran far enough and charged his cannon.

"FIRE!" Vince yelled and let out super blast right to Matt, causing him to kneel in incapacitation. Vince ran right behind him and climbed Matt's avatar.

 _ **"Stop fighting the inevitable!"**_ Matt said.

"Hope you have your gravestone picked out!" Vince said as he fired some blasts to the back of Matt's head.

 ** _"Get off me and fight!"_** Matt said and shook until Vince jumped off and landed on his feet. Vince fired more blasts to Matt, until the blasts no longer could faze the cyber-god himself.

 _ **"Without power you may as well give up,"**_ Matt said.

Matt used this opportunity to breathe more projectiles towards Vince, as well as slash the sword downward. But all Vince could do was avoid any attacks. He did all he could to fight back with his cannon, even with the power back online. He was glad to have Kinzie at his side to help him out in cyberspace.

"GOT IT!" Kinzie said. Oh, she helped him, alright. Now Vince's avatar grew in size and looked similar to Matt's avatar, except his had more of a purple color scheme to Matt's blue color scheme. On top of that, he took Matt's sword.

 _ **"What?! That's IMPOSSIBLE! Guards!"**_ Matt said. He dashed right towards Vince with his sword, only for Vince to block the attack with his sword.

"This is so COOL!" Vince said.

 _"Looking at that avatar's programming, you should have four main abilities,"_ Kinzie said. _"The sword can be used to slash at things close by, or it can create a giant shockwave. And as a dragon, you have medium-ranged fire breath and a quick dash to evade hits."_

"Let's test this," Vince said.

Pierce saw this go on in the virtual world. _"Come on, Boss, take him down!"_

Several avatars of the enemies from before came up and started to open fire. But Vince had other ideas. He breathed fire over them and to any others, he slashed his sword towards them. More and more came out of the woodwork and they were all eliminated with the amount of power that this avatar had. The more some came up, the faster they were taken out.

"I don't know how you managed it, Agent Kensington, but it doesn't matter," Matt said, coming back into the fight. "I am God in my domain!"

"Fuck me, he's back!" Vince said.

 _"You're on even ground now, should be a piece of cake,"_ Kinzie said.

"That's a real help, Kinzie," Vince said.

It was time to finish this. Vince swung his sword. Matt dodged the attack and breathed some of those projectiles towards him. Vince breathed some fire, but Matt anticipated the attacks and jumped to deliver his own line of defense before moving into offense. Except there was one problem for him, Vince was armed with a weapon and he had more of an advantage.

Matt drew another sword, but Vince tried with all of his might to ensure that he will win the fight. Matt got more attacks onto him with his fire and projectiles, as well as the sword. It was not time to give up, though. Vince and Matt went back and forth on this. Matt had his own advantage, but Vince kept coming back.

It wasn't over yet, though. Matt drew yet another sword. "There's no room for you in my world. Time to die!"

Both warriors in the battle brandished their swords and swung. The swords touched, causing a mysterious force to emit. It was too much, but Matt was not about to quit. He swung, Vince dodged. They kept touching steel, even if it wasn't real. Matt showed that he had his way to fight in the virtual world and he found a formidable opponent, even though the leader of the Saints was really new at this. It got to a point where Vince finally took Matt down and delivered multiple punches to the avatar's face and got him to his feet, punching him once again, and finally drawing the sword one more time. Vince slashed Matt multiple times, right before the finishing attack, when he stabbed Matt's avatar in the chest, and then lifting him, and finally throwing him to the ground.

What was puzzling about this was that Matt's avatar had changed into virtual version of his real-life self, with Vince's avatar now towering over him. Matt looked up as he sat down and saw as Vince was stalking towards him and started backing up really quickly while breathing hard.

Vince had now reverted to his regular avatar and approached Matt with his cannon drawn. "Bye, Matt!"

 _"Wait!"_ Matt said. _"I can clear your name, prove that you didn't destroy that bridge."_

"I'm sure Kinzie can figure it out," Vince said.

 _"I literally have the world at my fingertips,"_ Matt said.

"A little vague, Matt, got to do better," Vince said with the cannon still drawn.

 _"You tell me the name of a company and it becomes the property of the Saints,"_ Matt said. _"You get your empire back and I get to walk away."_

"Kid, now we're talking," Vince said.

Matt led Vince to a fork, leading to two choices on which Matt can hook up the Saints with discounts in certain companies.

"What are these?" Vince said.

 _"They're backdoors into company records,"_ Matt said. _"One door leads to a weapons manufacturer, giving you discounts on weapon upgrades."_

"And the other?" Vince said.

 _"An automotive parts distribution house,"_ Matt said. _"They'll discount work done on your cars. Pick one and I'll get you set up as a high-priority client, I swear!"_

This was a tough choice. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have Rim Jobs and any other garages give discounts on tune-ups. However, weapon upgrades were expensive and who wouldn't want to save money on some special upgrades to weapons? Vince went towards the weapons manufacturer.

 _"Okay, so do we have a deal?"_ Matt said.

"Sure, just make sure you stay off my ass from here on in," Vince said.

 _"You have my word,"_ Matt said. _"Cheers!"_

Suddenly, Matt's avatar just disappeared.

"Okay, Kinzie, it's time to go back," Vince said.

 _"Okay, just give me a second,"_ Kinzie said.

It wasn't long until the system went off and the contraption was lifted. Vince was now back in the real world and took a major breather and got up and tumbled a bit.

"Whoa, Boss, you okay?" Pierce said.

"I'm fine, it was one hell of a ride I will tell you that," Vince said. "Maybe you should try it."

"Nah, I don't think I want to get involved in some cyber warfare," Pierce said.

"It was awesome, I think I need a rest," Vince said and fell on his back.

Pierce and Kinzie approached him. Kinzie looked down on him and shook her head.

"Amateurs," Kinzie said and looked at Pierce. "Has something like this happened before?"

"I remember him getting high off a drug that his body couldn't handle," Pierce said. "He'll be fine, just give him a bit and I'll take him back to the crib."

* * *

**3 COUNT CASINO**

Matt had a meeting with Phillipe and Killbane. He had his friends, Homer, Lyric, Archie, Chester, Jack, Raymond, and Steven accompany him to this.

Phillipe and Killbane faced Matt and his fellow Deckers standing before them.

"Mr. Loren, sir, I must say that it was privilege to work for you and the Syndicate," Matt said. "But I think it's time that we must go back to England. I'm starting to miss the old country and I feel the need to make a change in my life. In fact, we all do."

Phillipe took a sip from his drink. "Matt, I respect you as an equal and also as a specialist in technology. I respect your wishes and I wish you all the best and to also in any future endeavors to cite me as a reference."

"Really, you're not mad about this?" Matt said.

"Nonsense, Mr. Miller," Phillipe said. "We will still take the fight to the Saints and STAG. As of this moment, Kirsten and Grace will assume full control of the Deckers. You're welcome to come back to Steelport any time, monsieur."

"Thanks, Mr. Loren," Matt said.

"Mr. Killbane, will you please escort Matt and his friends?" Phillipe said.

"Sure thing, Phillipe," Killbane said.

Matt walked out of the room with his friends as Killbane followed them out. Once they were close to the casino, Killbane looked towards Matt's fellow Deckers and friends.

"Excuse me, but I would like to have a private word with Matt," Killbane said.

"Okay, we'll wait for Matt by the door," Steven said as they all walked away.

Killbane and Matt walked around the casino. Matt looked up at Killbane and shook a bit, especially since he remembered that night he clocked him in the face with a steel chair, as well as his short temper.

"What is it you want to talk to me about, Killbane?" Matt said.

"Let's take a little walk," Killbane said as they started walking around the casino. Even though Matt was still a minor, it seemed he was allowed to walk around the casino as he was a part of the Syndicate.

"I really wish you'd reconsider, Matty," Killbane said. "These hands of mine were meant to rend bone, not hunt and peck on a keyboard."

"Well, if typing is the issue, I can recommend some good voice-recognition software," Matt said. "Or maybe I can provide some other blue-hats from other parts of Steelport to work with the Syndicate."

Killbane signaled to him to quiet. "You stuck with me and Phillipe even after the DeWynter sisters defected, as well as Barry's death. You and me, we've bonded."

"That's lovely, but I feel it's time for me to move on," Matt said. "To be honest, I'm a little scared of, well, dying."

"Phillipe may have his ways, and I _do_ run a demanding workplace," Killbane said. "I appreciate how you've shared your concerns. I mean the way Viola and Kiki handled their…departures, as well as Barry somehow ending up dead made me just want to kill someone, you know?"

Killbane got a little rough as he started to squeeze Matt a bit, but Matt quickly broke away.

"Oh, absolutely," Matt said. "Well, I've got a flight to catch, so, cheerio!"

Matt quickly walked away to meet with his friends while Killbane stood there and watched him walk away.

"Matty," Killbane said.

"Oh god," Matt said.

"Feel free to list me as a reference any time," Killbane said.

"I will, Killbane," Matt said and walked away to meet with his friends.

"Are you okay, Matt?" Steven said.

"I'll be fine," Matt said. "I think I will have to say goodbye to Melissa before we go to Wesley Cutter."

"You can take her with us," Lyric said.

"I don't know, I got too much on my mind right now," Matt said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have made my return. This was a chapter that I had a hard time with. I know I have done shootouts in various chapters, but with this one being in the virtual world, I didn't see any reason to go into detail about the shootouts, which was why I did it the way I did it. I did some brainstorming for it, but I think the way I did it worked.
> 
> Also, in the game, Pierce appeared in the cutscene. I thought it would be better if he had other dialogue because he was pretty much a non-factor in the mission in the game.
> 
> With Loren being alive in this, I thought it would better to add some input on his end for Matt's departure. In case you didn't know, there were Homie Conversations with Phillipe for Saints Row IV as he was supposed to be a homie but was changed before its release. There was actually a conversation between him and Matt, which I actually kind of liked as it showed that he possibly liked Matt like how Killbane liked Matt.
> 
> Also, this isn't the end of the Deckers storyline. With that being said, next up, the fall of the Deckers. Stay tuned.


End file.
